“For our food service channel, innovation is how we help our customers solve complex problems.
“Products like our IQF mozzarella, UHT whipping cream and our new cream product you just mentioned – the Anchor Easy Bakery cream - are some great results of our innovation work.”
Anchor Easy Bakery cream is a new whipping cream in the Anchor Food Professionals’ portfolio that targets the growing mass mid-tier segment of the market in China.
McClure said there was a strong demand for UHT cream in China, especially in the mass mid-tier market, which represented about 40% of the UHT market.
It is a segment that focuses on value.
Fonterra’s hero product, Anchor whipping cream led the Premium category, which presented an opportunity for new product development for Fonterra to develop a mass mid-tier product, she said.
The formula for this product was developed by the team of experts at the Fonterra Research and Development Centre.
It took less than a year from the initial idea to commercial production of the product, and they were able to officially launch it last year in China.
This new UHT cream is the result of the dairy expertise they have and will continue to leverage to create new markets and opportunities for their foodservice business.
“That is a quick turnaround to develop a new product, isn’t it?” Kelly said.
“We were able to achieve a successful launch in such a short amount of time thanks to the great work and collaboration from our teams across the business - there is never just one hero,” McClure said.
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“This includes revisiting some previous development work, working closely with category teams, our operations and manufacturing teams and our market teams,” she said.
A cross-functional approach is critical to achieving successful innovation.
“From idea to execution, key stakeholder groups are needed to ensure that we develop something that meets customer needs and can be manufactured effectively in our factories,” McClure said.
“The process requires a nimble approach that is built on ideas, iteration, trial, and learning.”
The focus for Fonterra for 2025 will be another exciting year for innovation for their Foodservice business and they are well positioned to continue to create products that meet the growing needs of their broad range of Foodservice customers around the world.
