Dive Brief:
- Dean Foods Co., the largest milk producer in the U.S., is consolidating all the milk produced at its more than 30 dairies under one brand label, DairyPure, in an effort to combat issues in the milk industry. It will be the first national branded fresh white milk.
- This brand will be a top consumer packaged goods line in the U.S. immediately upon release, valued at $2.5 billion.
- Dean Foods will promote DairyPure through a national print and TV ad campaign, and the company plans to highlight features like its milk being free of antibiotics and artificial growth hormones, being fresh from consumers' local dairy, and that cow's milk is a good course of protein, calcium, and vitamin D.
Dive Insight:
Dean Foods and other milk producers are struggling to bounce back in a flailing industry that has seen consumption drop for decades. Other cow's milk substitutes, such as almond milk, have been sapping sales from traditional milk over the years as this breakfast staple falls out of favor with consumers while plant-based proteins receive more attention. According to USDA predictions, a milk surplus will cause global milk prices to plummet by 27% this year, and weak demand in the U.S. has already caused those prices to fall in the country. Will DairyPure be the milk innovation Dean Foods needs?