FrieslandCampina Russia is Aiming for Stronger Positions with Yoghurts and Drinks

FrieslandCampina Russia is now planning to target dairy drinks more emphatically in accordance with the route2020 company strategy.

12/27/2010 --- With Campina Fruttis and Campina Nezhny, FrieslandCampina Russia, which is part of the Consumer Products Europe business group, has two well-known brands in the Russian dairy market. The operating company has successfully improved the taste of Campina Fruttis yoghurt and is now targeting growth in yoghurt drinks and strengthening its position in the chiller section of the large Russian supermarkets.

FrieslandCampina has been operating its own production site in Russia for ten years. The factory, with production lines for yoghurt, drinks and coffee creamer, is located in Stupino (100 kilometres south of Moscow). Marketing and sales operations are managed from the Moscow office.

In 2010, FrieslandCampina Russia has concentrated on yoghurt. “Because we’ve got a good position in yoghurts, which gives us every opportunity to grow”, says Marco Spits, Managing Director of FrieslandCampina Russia. He is referring to the brand awareness of Campina Fruttis and Campina Nezhny yoghurt in large areas of Russia. “Campina Fruttis has been marketed as ‘Nutrition for vitality’ and Campina Nezhny as ‘Value for money’.”

Fruit basket
“Our yoghurt is a long-life product and doesn’t need to be kept in the chiller section and in terms of taste is different from fresh products”, says Marco Spits. “To change this, we mobilised a group of employees in Stupino to help us improve the taste of the products. We’ve been really successful. We worked hard with the people from the factory in Stupino to improve the taste and the quality. The new Fruit basket taste, with twice as much fruit, is also making a contribution. The production lines have been modified so that they can operate with larger pieces of fruit.”

Dairy drinks
FrieslandCampina Russia is now planning to target dairy drinks more emphatically in accordance with the route2020 company strategy. Spits: “We’ve been marketing dairy drinks for some time, but we want to be stronger in this field, too. We’ve changed the packaging of Campina Nezhny drink and have introduced the Fruit basket taste into our drinks. Sales of Campina Fruttis yoghurt drinks have grown hugely.”

Position in the chiller cabinet
Traditionally, FrieslandCampina Russia has been strong in sales via traditional outlets: in the numerous smaller shops in Russia. Spits: “It’s a challenge for us to also build up a position in the large modern supermarkets, which are also becoming more important in Russia. We’re doing this, for example, with key account management, to get our products a prominent place in the chiller section. We’ve also launched a TV campaign to promote the sale of our products.”