![]() ![]() It is a matter of taking solutions to the customers. Companies also have to play the role of “trusted advisor” and not be merely a vendor to retailers, he said. ![]() The tie-breakers then are innovation, merchandising and customer alignment, Kurr said. But any milk processor can claim its milk has protein. The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) is doing that with its “protein fight club” campaign. One current strategy is to call out the benefits of milk, especially the protein content. The challenges and opportunities in the milk category are well-known. Value-added dairy beverages include lactose-free milk, iced coffee, and egg nogs and dairy-based holiday beverages such as J.R. Kemps offers a full line of conventional and organic milk in paper and plastic containers. Rounding out sales is ice cream, novelties, sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, beverages and other dairy products. Milk accounts for the majority of the company’s total annual revenues. Kurr, who has been with the company for 26 years, served as vice president of sales since 1990 until stepping into the CEO role in 2013 when Jim Green retired after 20 years. “Kemps is going to be part of the solution,” he said. When consumers go to a store to buy milk, they end up adding more groceries to their shopping cart. Kurr said that even with declining consumption, retailers still want milk because it leads to a bigger basket. I asked Kurr why Kemps would not simply pull out of the fluid category and focus instead on ice cream, cottage cheese, sour cream and other dairy products. Reversing that sales trend “is a high priority,” he said. After all, milk accounts for half of the company’s annual revenues. Like other heads of large dairy companies, Kurr is concerned about the declining sales of milk in gallon jugs. Milk still mattersīut innovation and competition are not all that occupy Kurr’s time. The company must continue to develop new ideas to drive sales of dairy products. Kemps won’t rest on past successes, Kurr said. The dairy processor has been no less diligent in innovations in packaging, using squeeze bottles to sell sour cream and creating a 76-ounce cow-shaped plastic jug that makes its flavored milks stand out in the dairy case. The Greek yogurt has 12 grams of protein in a 5.3-ounce serving and is sold in strawberry, raspberry, cherry and vanilla flavors. The curds are blended into a smooth consistency. Flavors are plain, peach, pineapple and cucumber-dill. The Greek-style cottage cheese has 19 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat and 130 calories in a 5.7-ounce serving. One food writer described the texture as “fluffy but creamy” and said it feels like light cheesecake. Flavors are Key lime pie, French silk, strawberry and raspberry. The snack mousse, sold in 4.77-ounce single-serve cups, has 11 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat and 190 calories. It positions them as healthy snacks along with its new Greek-style yogurt, also introduced last year. In 2013 Kemps took a languishing dairy product - cottage cheese - and created two high-protein foods (Greek-style cottage cheese and Greek snack mousse). Other innovations include a pelletized ice cream product (called IttiBitz) for the supermarket channel, frozen yogurt parfaits with real fruit toppings and the SnoBlitz, a restaurant-style eat-at-home soft-serve dessert with inclusions that can be served straight from the freezer. It was one of the first processors to have a yogurt-juice beverage (called Yo-J). The company has made its mark with new dairy products and packaging. “We view innovation as our responsibility to keep categories fresh and drive sales for our customers,” said CEO Greg Kurr.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |