Fonterra is riding a wave of demand in China for dairy products to use in Western foods, including breakfasts.
It said data from China Customs showed that imports for butter, cream and cheese all rose in the first eleven months of last year compared with the year prior, with cream up 57 per cent, cheese up 31 per cent and butter up 21 per cent.
To meet demand, Fonterra has increased the number of stores it sells into from 1400 to 1700 in recent months and boosted the presence of its products on e-commerce platforms. It has also launched a mobile app campaign inviting users to share their favourite breakfast recipes using dairy ingredients.
More than 8000 recipes were shared during December and January by shoppers who bought Anchor products. Around 70 per cent of the recipes were Western-style dishes such as breakfast paninis and omelettes, while 30 per cent were Chinese-inspired dishes such as sweet potato cream soup, toast rolls with peanuts, and cheese and egg breakfast cups.
“Breakfast as we know it is changing in China,” said Chester Cao, vice-president of brands for greater China. “As incomes rise and the middle class grows, we are seeing greater demand for Western-style breakfast items such as butter, cheese and cream.
The co-operative has also hired celebrity chefs such Michelin star holder Steven Liu to stage cooking events.
The campaign also included digital advertising and activation with China-based food delivery app Eleme, which generated 89 million impressions among app users.
By: Gerard Hutching
Source: Stuff.co.nz