Family-owned dairy company reaps the rewards of its free-range launch

Azhar Zouq, managing director of Lancashire Farm Dairies and Olympia the cow

Following an industry first move in which Lancashire Farm Dairies moved to using only free-range milk in all of its yogurt products, the brand has seen sales increase by 20%.

Introducing the bold move to the market with a stylish brand make over, the Rochdale-based company has since witnessed a boost in sales with initial figures showing a rise of one fifth since the free-range products hit shelves at the start of 2018.

Over the years, consumers have become increasingly concerned about animal welfare, and regularly opt to buy ‘ethical’ farm products such as free-range milk and organic meat. Free range milk and yogurt have never been the norm across the industry, and so innovators at Lancashire Farm Dairies strived to provide the best products for their customers while maintaining the welfare of their farmers and their cows by introducing the Grazing Guarantee.

Jack Morrison, brand manager at Lancashire Farm Dairies, said: “As a brand we’re always looking to evolve. A key part of the evolution is listening to consumers changing demands. Animal welfare has become such an important factor for consumers within the last couple of years. It was definitely something we felt we could do and needed to move the needle on.

“We are the first UK yogurt brand to commit to using exclusively free-range milk, milk sourced from cows that are free to graze a minimum of 150 days a year. This took all areas of the business and supply chain to deliver on this proposition.”

Lancashire Farm Dairies has been producing high quality, natural yogurt with locally sourced milk for over 30 years. Over the past three years, the company and brand has grown by 96%.

Mr. Morrison added: “With the rebrand, we wanted to communicate our move to free range on the pack and to customers, ultimately capturing ‘happy cows make better milk’. It’s simple, trusted and easy to navigate. Crucially, customers vote with their wallet and so far, the response has been fantastic.”

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/1/business-news/118010/locallyowned-dairy-company-first-to-launch-freerange-yogurt