History
Victoria's Minister of Agriculture Ian Smith appointed Des Cooper (MD of the Victorian Oat Growers Pool) as chairman, and Brian Purtell as general manager of dairy company National Foods. Purtell appointed agricultural-science graduate Peter Granger as Marketing Manager. Granger conceived the VDIA Marketing Plan to introduce branding and promotion to both flavored milk (Big M) and reduced-fat milk (Rev), and this was embraced by the board. Until this time there had been dozens of small 'zoned' dairies, some selling generic flavored milks. With the exception of Ducats dairy in Shepparton, sales were minuscule. Ducats faced genuine competition from Midland Dairies, and this acted as a catalyst for innovation by both dairies.
Zoning had stifled dairy innovation elsewhere. Attempting to overcome this the Victorian Milk Board had introduced a reduced-fat milk in the mid 1970s called 2:10 The product failed due to lack of co-operation by dairy processors, and the inability of the Board to overcome this resistance. It was one of the reasons the Milk Board was subsequently replaced by the VDIA. Similarly, there was resistance to the launch of Big M and Rev, but it was ultimately embraced by the industry following consumer interest and demand the advertising and promotion generated.
Granger was principally the creative input, with Cooper and Purtell administrators who skilfully manoeuvred the launch in the face of industry reluctance and skepticism. The advertising agency George Paterson handled the advertising campaign. They conceived the brand name and contracted Paddington Films to produce the highly successful Big M surfing ads. This was a rare occasion where a government department launched a successful and contemporary consumer product.
Big M accounted for sales of 19 million litres per year, and licence fees of $6 – 6.5 million pa prior to the trademarks being sold in 2000 for almost $62 million. [3] Big M flavoured milk is available primarily in Melbourne, regional and rural areas of Victoria and the southern and western Riverina regions of New South Wales near the state border of Victoria. In recent years distribution of the Big M brand has expanded further north into the rest of New South Wales and into Queensland as well as its state of origin.
The brand gained initial popularity with its advertising association with surf and the beach culture. [4] There were a number of subsequent ad campaigns in Victoria such as 'Think Big, but not too big'. It is sold in cartons, Tetra Briks and plastic bottles in both fresh and UHT varieties. Big M is also available in a low fat "light" chocolate variety (0.9% fat vs 3.3% for the normal product).
Caramilk is a brand name used for two distinct chocolate bar products made by Cadbury. Both were introduced in 1968. The Canadian version of Caramilk is a milk chocolate bar filled with caramel. In Australia the Caramilk brand is used for a caramelised white chocolate bar.
Flavored milk is a sweetened dairy drink made with milk, sugar, flavorings, and sometimes food colorings. It may be sold as a pasteurized, refrigerated product, or as an ultra-high-temperature (UHT) treated product not requiring refrigeration. It may also be made in restaurants or homes by mixing flavorings into milk.
Kit Kat is a chocolate-covered wafer bar confection created by Rowntree's of York, England. It is produced globally by Nestlé, except in the United States, where it is made under licence by the H. B. Reese Candy Company, a division of the Hershey Company.
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Fingers are a popular chocolate biscuit in the United Kingdom and Ireland which consist of a rod-shaped biscuit centre covered in chocolate. Fingers are produced at Burton's Biscuit Company in the United Kingdom and sold by Cadbury UK, and are distributed in markets around the world, including North and South America, Europe and Asia. Since March 2013, Cadbury Fingers have also been sold in Australia, with three different varieties available.
Warrnambool Cheese & Butter Factory Company Holdings Limited (WCB) is an Australian-based company manufacturing dairy products, majority-owned by Saputo Inc., a Canadian company, that manufactures a range of dairy products under various brands. The business is based in Allansford, Victoria and is the oldest dairy processor in Australia, having been established in 1888. It owns cheese brands CHEER and Cracker Barrel.
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The Bega Group is an Australian diversified food and drinks company with manufacturing sites in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Founded as an agricultural cooperative in the town of Bega, New South Wales by their dairy suppliers, it became a public company in 2011 when it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Close to half of shares publicly traded are still held by Bega's farmer-suppliers. It is currently one of the largest companies in the dairy sector in Australia, with a base milk supply in 2018 of approximately 750 million litres per annum.
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Halo Top Creamery is an ice cream company and brand sold in the United States, Australia, Mexico, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Austria, United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. The brand is marketed as a lower-calorie alternative, partially substituting sugar with stevia, a plant-based sweetener, and erythritol, a sugar alcohol.
