Magazine: Desserts (not only) from milk

Chilled milk dessert sales didn’t profit from the surge in demand caused by the pandemic, probably because this is an impulse category. Sales didn’t decline either, as pre-COVID the popularity of chilled milk desserts had been growing.

Júlia Szalainé Aszódi
head of commercial
development
Danone Magyarország

We learned from Júlia Szalainé Aszódi, Danone Magyarország Kft.’s head of commercial development that chilled desserts recalling the taste of classic pastries did very well, but the growth was the most dynamic in the segment of plant-based desserts – sales nearly doubled here. This happened because consumers are trying to reduce their sugar consumption, and due to the fact that free-from foods are more and more popular.

COVID changed things

COVID had great influence on the market of milk- and plant-based products, accelerating existing trends and starting new ones. One of the things that changed is the place of buying.

Danone’s expert explained that online grocery sales are growing fast, while among physical stores small corner shops, discounters and supermarkets became more popular. Demand increased for milk desserts sold at entry price and for economical, family-size products. Shoppers like to try new milk- and plant-based desserts, therefore next year Danone will introduce new products, flavours and formats under every main brand of the company.

Milk- and plant-based desserts of Danone are expressly innovative, customers like trying novelties

Targeting conscious consumers

Kiss Dénes
marketingvezető
Dr. Oetker

For Dr. Oetker the emphasis is now on targeting consumers who are really conscious in what they are eating. According to Dénes Kiss, head of marketing with Dr. Oetker Kft., this is the reason why they launched the company’s first plant-based pudding range, loVE it! vegan puddings. The strategy is the same behind the recently launched Dr. Oetker puddings with high protein content. In the Paula range they came out with Paula GO! products.

Consumer trust is big, but expectations are also high

Cottage cheese cream brand Milli Krémtúró kept strengthening its market leader position in the category in 2020 and 2021. Katalin Massimo, FrieslandCampina Hungária Zrt.’s brand manager (Milli) revealed: one of the reasons behind this is that during the pandemic shoppers preferred buying the brands they know and trust; plus families spent more time at home and ate more milk desserts and other snacks. This spring two new limited edition Krémtúró cottage cheese creams hit the shops: white chocolate and coconut, and apple pie. With lactose-sensitive consumers in mind, Milli kept the vanilla version but replaced vanilla-raisin with a banana flavour. Cream pudding product 4-pack Milli Krémpuding also performed well in the last eighteen months. These products received a new design in September.

Consumers buy less frequently, but more and stock up, what caused multipacks to gain ground

The (brand) force is with them

Pöttyös is the market leader chilled dairy snack. After launching the Pöttyös chocolate milk in 2019, in 2020 the brand entered the spoon milk dessert segment with a unique cottage cheese and yogurt based, 2-compartment premium product, in chocolate, caramel and strawberry flavours. Viktória Főfainé Kiss, FrieslandCampina Hungária Zrt.’s brand manager (Pöttyös) informed us that after the rollout in July 2021, the product acquired a more than 8-percent market share by August.

Preference to Hungarian products

István Zoltán Pemmer
managing director
Piros Kockás

Piros Kockás Kft. is also competing in the cottage cheese dessert segment. Managing director István Zoltán Pemmer told: their experience is that the shopping habits of consumers have changed – the weekly big shop became a family programme, shoppers started checking the per kilogram price of cottage cheese desserts and pay attention to buying Hungarian products whenever it is possible. The company’s products benefitted from the latter as Kockás is a Hungarian product, which is only marked ‘Domestically Made’ (and not ‘Hungarian’) because of its chocolate coating. Piros Kockás Kft. can be found in shops with 30g and 50g cottage cheese bars in dark chocolate coating. //