PepsiCo and Müller debut yogurts in US
PepsiCo and Theo Muller Group, the largest privately held dairy business in Germany, says their US joint venture, Muller Quaker Dairy, is entering the US dairy market in mid-July with premium yogurt products that have never before been available to US consumers. These products – Muller Corner, Muller Greek Corner and Muller FrutUp – mark the first entry by either PepsiCo or Müller into US dairy aisles.
Muller Quaker Dairy also will satisfy the increasing demand for value-added dairy products in the US, where variety and innovation within the category lags behind other regions, especially Europe. US consumption of yogurt and other value-added dairy products is generally less than half that of Europe. Around 17 markets will see these new products: Muller Corner and Muller Greek Corner, including blueberry, strawberry, Crispy Crunch, Choco Balls, chocolate flakes and crunchy granola. The Greek-style varieties include honeyed apricot, strawberry, blackberry & raspberry, and caramelized almonds Muller FrutUp varieties include blueberry bliss, very cherry, luscious lemon, peach passion fruit, radiant raspberry and splendid strawberry, starting with fruit fresh and prepared onsite with the yogurt.
“As we’ve seen through the success of our dairy business in other parts of the world, this is a category with strong growth prospects,” Dr Mehmood Khan, PepsiCo chief scientific officer, global research & development says. “With the name recognition and trust Quaker provides, together, we will be able to offer US consumers an amazing range of products that taste delicious and are unlike anything on the market currently.”
The joint venture is building a new yogurt manufacturing plant in Batavia, New York. Once completed in 2013, it will be one of the largest yogurt plants in the US, and is expected to create more than 180 new jobs in the region.
