Irish Dairy Board goes for Kerrygold in the GCC

The Irish Dairy Board will launch its flagship brand Kerrygold in the UAE and expand its presence in Saudi Arabia, before rolling it out across the GCC.

"Some products were present in Saudi Arabia, but now the company intends to market this brand in the Middle East market with a proper strategy whilst the launch is part of the company's greater strategy to gain a wider footprint in this market," said Vipul Bahl, business development manager of the Irish Dairy Board, a commercial cooperative owned by Ireland's co-ops and dairy companies.

Kerrygold is the main brand for The Irish Dairy Board, a major exporter of Ireland's dairy products covering consumer foods and food ingredients with subsidiary companies in the UK, Germany, Belgium, France and the US.

Bahl revealed that Kerrygold will be established at the upper end of the market through premium positioning of its products, with the initial launch focusing on its mild, mature and vintage varieties of cheese.

The products will be available in pre-packed forms and on delicatessen counters at supermarkets. The company will offer speciality cheeses including Dubliner, Blarney Castle and Regato, pitched as "unique in their formulation and taste" and butter, both salted and unsalted. The brand is being launched at A-class supermarkets and hypermarkets, with the target audience expected to be Western expatriates and locals for the cheese and butter ranges.

He predicted that the quality and taste would be the key draws to the portfolio and "since the brand is being launched with the focus on a niche audience, it would be supported initially by events, in-store visibility, sampling and print campaigns.

According to Bahl, the brand stands out in the market based on its five pillars of Natural, Irish, Pure, Taste and Trust.

"The launch campaign will focus on the product attributes, providing the brand as an image of top class cheese and butter," he said.

"The additive-free dairy products are made as nature intended from the rich, creamy wholesale milk of dairy herds, whilst the country's traditional animal husbandry and dairy farming methods with family farms go back many generations," he said.

"This pure and natural environment with quality milk from grass-fed cows invites consumer confidence and trust in Kerrygold products," he added.

The launch will include 227g packs of salted butter, 227g packs of unsalted butter, Mild White Cheddar, Mild Red Cheddar and Mature Cheddar.

Kerrygold branded products are currently sold in 50 countries and it holds the leading market share for butter in Germany, while its other key markets include the UK for butter, the US for cheese and butter, Greece for cheese, Spain for cheese and butter and Africa for powder.

Kerrygold was launched in Russia in October 2007 and Algeria in November last year.

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