Peak evaporated milk in sachets
In November 2009 FrieslandCampina introduced a world first in Nigeria. Evaporated milk (coffee creamer) in handy sachets. A unique concept, as this is the first time that the product is being marketed in liquid form in sachets. The sachet contains thirty-five grams, the exact amount needed for one cup of tea or coffee.
In many Asian and African countries you can buy sweetened or unsweetened condensed milk and instant whole milk powder. In the tropics, these products, if unopened, can be kept without refrigeration. In countries where certainly not everyone has a fridge, this is an enormous advantage. Opened cans have to be kept cool and that’s a problem in quite a lot of countries. The cans are therefore relatively expensive. The solution: making condensed (or evaporated) milk in small portions so that less goes to waste.
The milk in the sachets, just as milk in cans, has a long shelf life. As the sachets only contain 35 grams of evaporated milk (just enough for one cup of tea or coffee), there is nothing left to throw away. The price is also an advantage in countries where consumers live on a tight budget. The sachets are affordable and cheaper than the cans.
Innovation
Packaging evaporated milk in sachets wasn’t possible up to now, but the idea was always there. Making smaller cans was not however a feasible option. FrieslandCampina WAMCO therefore went in search of other forms of packaging. Thanks to the arrival of new types of plastic, capable of withstanding the high temperatures necessary for sterilisation, FrieslandCampina nevertheless saw opportunities. In 2007, FrieslandCampina WAMCO in Nigeria set up a project team and enlisted the help of FrieslandCampina Leeuwarden.
Research showed that the coffee creamer (unsweetened evaporated milk), which is normally packed in cans, could also be produced in sachet form. After almost a year of testing at FrieslandCampina and at suppliers in the Netherlands and Germany, the construction of a production unit in Lagos, Nigeria got underway. And in November 2009 production started up and the new product was launched.