Q&A with Fresh Dairy Marketing Manager Vincent Omoth on the re-branding of the company’s yoghurt and the launch of a new flavour – mixed berries

By Kiyimba Bruno
Kiyimba.bruno@gmail.com

Watchdog Uganda previously brought its readers a story on how fresh Dairy Uganda Limited had re-branded its yoghurt as well as launching of a new flavour dubbed Mixed Berries.

We happened to catch up with the company’s Head of marketing Mr Vincent Omoth who revealed why they moved to re-brand their products.

Watchdog: Fresh Dairy recently re-branded all its yoghurt. What is the rationale behind the re-branding?

Mr Omoth: Fresh Dairy rebranded all its yoghurt as part of our strategy to satisfy the constantly changing needs of our customers while increasing market share both in Uganda and the East African region at large.

The rebranded Fresh Dairy yoghurt comes in five flavours to include Strawberry, Vanilla, Mango, Plain and the latest addition – Mixed Berries. The rebranded yoghurt will now be packed in various sizes ranging from 450g, 250g, 150g to 100g cups.

 Watchdog: How did Fresh Dairy facilitate this re-branding process?

Mr Omoth: Fresh Dairy recently installed a fully automated yoghurt plant that processes and packs all the yoghurt we produce with minimal human contact. The yoghurt plant is worth an investment of 1.4 million dollars and has a capacity to handle 80,000 litres of yoghurt daily. We believe that there is a huge production of growth for yoghurt in the coming 10 – 20 years.

Watchdog: What is unique about this newly rebranded yoghurt?

Mr Omoth: Fresh Dairy yoghurt is the first yoghurt without preservatives in Uganda. We have also improved all the flavours. It took us more than a year in terms of research to come up with this recipe to make sure that what we have the most preferred yoghurt in Uganda today.

 Watchdog: Besides the taste, what else is different about this rebranded yoghurt?

Mr Omoth: The rebranded yoghurt has been packaged with the latest technology called IML. We now have the most advanced technology to pack Fresh Dairy yoghurt in Uganda, which technology enhances the product’s security features to curb counterfeits

Watchdog: How is Fresh Dairy supporting the local enterprise in Uganda?

Mr Omoth: All the milk used in our newly re-branded yoghurt is sourced from Ugandan farms only totaling to approximately 30,000 farmers that we work with. We work with both small and large-scale farmers ranging from farmers with only 2 cows to 200 cows.

Watchdog: Dairy is a very delicate industry that requires maximum quality control. What has Fresh Dairy put in place to ensure quality control?

Mr Omoth: In order to ensure quality control, all milk received from farmers is taken through mandatory tests to ensure that the milk you have in your yoghurt is of the best quality not only in Uganda but also East Africa.

Watchdog: What are the benefits of consuming yoghurt?

Mr Omoth: Yoghurt is a healthy and nutritious snack with rich benefits for the consumer. Yoghurt is an ideal nutrition booster rich in Vitamin A, B, D, E, Calcium and Potassium.

 Watchdog: How have you been educating your consumers about the importance of consuming yoghurt?

Mr Omoth: Fresh Dairy has for 2 consecutive years run a schools’ program in approximately 370 primary schools in Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso aimed at educating children on nutrition, specifically encouraging the consumption of 1-Yoghurt-a-Day’ as a healthy and nutritious snack.

Watchdog: What is the recommended retail price for the newly rebranded Fresh Dairy yoghurt?

Mr Omoth: 450 gm cup will retail for 3,000 Ushs, 250 gm cup for 1,900 Ushs, 150 gm cup for 1,400 Ushs and the 100 gm cup for 850 Ushs.

Watchdog: Where can a consumer access the newly rebranded Fresh Dairy yoghurt?

Mr Omoth: Fresh Dairy has intensified its distribution channels to ensure that consumers countrywide in Uganda have access to the newly re-branded yoghurt. The yoghurt will be available in Shops, Duukas, Kiosks, Supermarkets and Tricycle Agents around the country.

Watchdog: Any last remarks

Mr Omoth: This is only the start and the beginning of a very long journey. We believe that innovation is the best way to promote the consumption of dairy. In order to keep customers from 2 – 85 years old, we need to continue innovating and introducing new products from yoghurt, cream to butter and more is yet to come from Fresh Dairy