Craftsmanship meets taste in a story about dairy brands, the milk & cheese history.

Dairy brands are a more recent notion; however, humans have been drinking milk from cows for thousands of years.

In short, modern dairy farming began in the early 1900's after pasteurization was developed and utilized worldwide.

A bit of dairy history

Dairy got its start in what is now Turkey in about 8,000 BCE, and for preserving this amazing product, the first milk from animals was turned into yogurt, cheese, and butter. In fact, cattle were domesticated as early as 12,000, the first people to drink milk regularly were early farmers and pastoralists in western Europe. The story of cheese is quite simple: someone, around 4,000 years ago, stored the milk in an animal stomach and an enzyme within the stomach lining caused the milk to separate into curds and whey. The curd solids were the first cheese, and the rest is gourmet history!

Beloved dairy products today

Even if it is an ancient food group, tastes have changed through the years. So, the most consumed dairy products today are: milk, cream, cheese, frozen dairy, condensed milk, butter.

Little known facts about dairies

The global dairy products market size is expanding growth at a noteworthy of 3.2% from 2021 to 2030. Every time we go in a supermarket, we are surrounded by dairy options. But how much do we know about these wonderful products? Here are a few little-known details:

• Cows Originated in Turkey & they are Highly Social Animals
• Cows Are Good Swimmers & they don’t sleep too much
• Cows spend 30 minutes drinking, 3-5 hours eating and 12-14 hours resting each day
• Dairy farming is a cause of pollution, so moderate consumption is important
• Milk is white because of its fat content, despite its creamy texture, milk is 85-95% water
• The world’s rarest cheese is made from donkey milk
• India is the world’s largest producer of milk
• 73% of calcium available in the food supply is provided by milk and dairy products
• Lactose-free milk is regular milk with the same nine essential nutrients, just no lactose, a sugar naturally present in milk

List of dairy products

Some dairy products are quite known, others not so much, this is a comprehensive list of dairy products:

• 1. milk - whole, reduced-fat 2 percent, low-fat 1 percent and fat-free
• 2. butter – unsalted, salted, clarified, whipped, spreadable, light
• 3. cheese - blue, hard, pasta filata, processed, semi-hard, semi-soft, soft and fresh, and soft-ripened
• 4. yogurt – low fat, no fat, greek, kefir, skyr, frozen
• 5. cream - heavy cream, sour cream
• 6. ice cream – soft serve, sorbet, gelato, frozen yogurt
• 7. whey - liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained
• 8. casein - the chief protein in milk and the essential ingredient of cheese

Dairy brands

The most known dairy brands today are considered:

• Nestlé – their history begins in 1866, with the foundation of the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company. Henri Nestlé develops a breakthrough infant food in 1867.
• Lactalis - 1933 marks the start of the Lactalis saga. On this day, André Besnier produces his first 17 camemberts in Laval, using 35 litres of milk.
• Danone - founded by Isaac Carasso, a Salonica-born Sephardic Jewish doctor, who began producing yogurt in Barcelona, Spain in 1919.
• Fonterra - was established in October 2001 following the merger of the country's two largest dairy co-operatives, New Zealand Dairy Group and Kiwi Cooperative Dairies.
• FrieslandCampina - relationship with milk began in 1871. This was the year Netherlands farmers decided to join forces in local cooperative dairy

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Cruelty free dairy brands

Ethical dairy farms do exist. It is not an easy endeavor, however, at some small, family-owned dairy farms, the owners know the names of each individual cow. Organic dairy farming ensures cows have access to pasture grazing in the grass growing season and encourages better welfare and better breeding.

Dairy farmers have a long history of commitment to sustainability. They use a variety of recycling practices and on-farm efficiencies to reduce their environmental impact. Compared to 1944, producing a gallon of milk today requires 90% less cropland, 65% less water and has a 63% lower carbon footprint.

If you would like to choose a completely cruelty free product, where no animal farming is involved, then you can opt-in for plant milks like almond milk, rice milk, cashew milk, hemp milk, oat milk, and soy milk etc. However, even for these products, moderate consumption is key because agriculture, in any form, is not exactly great for the environment.

Organic dairy farms

Organic crops, hay, and pasture are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. Non-natural feed additives and supplements such as vitamins and minerals must also be approved for use in organic.

Organic milk differs from conventional milk in three specific ways: it must come from cows that aren't treated with antibiotics, that are not given any hormones for growth or reproduction, and that receive at least 30% of their diet from pasture.

Numerous studies have found that organic fairy has a higher nutritional content, and even more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and more disease-fighting antioxidants than non-organic products.

Organic milk differs from conventional milk in three specific ways: it must come from cows that aren't treated with antibiotics, that are not given any hormones for growth or reproduction, and that receive at least 30% of their diet from pasture.

Numerous studies have found that organic fairy has a higher nutritional content, and even more healthy omega-3 fatty acids, and more disease-fighting antioxidants than non-organic products.

Dairy branding

As you may have already observed, dairy market is quite a busy one. For a new dairy brand to get noticed, they need a good branding strategy. With all the present dairy product brands having the same schemes of color, patterns and element, there is no wonder that many businesses don’t attract loyal customers. What is the solution?

• Create a clear brand identity, easily memorable
• Speak to your audience using a brand image that defines your products & path
• Position your brand correctly – supermarket, special stores, fairs, standard, organic, etc.
• Have a unique packaging design, something that would fit your brand personality

Dairy packaging solutions

Depending on the dairy product, the packaging solution should ensure safety and freshness. It can be a packaging bottle – glass or plastic, a paper container, a glass, or plastic jar, etc.

Dairy packaging trends

Eco-friendly materials are an important factor for the dairy industry today. Also, pet bottles are a big hit today for yogurts. Smaller portion sizes is trending because this ensure freshness and also is a good solution for snacking. Intelligent packaging is an innovating system that provides info on product quality directly – indicators for time, oxygen, color, pathogen, freshness, carbon dioxide, etc.

Cheese branding

There are more than 1,800 different types of cheese in the world. So, without a good cheese branding strategy, it will be quite difficult to launch a new cheese brand. Cheese design colors may not be a fashion statement, but they should permit brands to be quickly identified on the shelves.

Milk package design

Flexible bag-in-box and pouch packaging provide eco-conscious solutions that keep your milk safe and fresh. The milk design should be friendly, sustainable and provide all necessary information about the nutritional values.

Milk bottle

In 1878, the first glass milk bottle was patented. The first glass milk bottles started appearing in 1880s in the UK and, enabling milkmen to deliver a pre-measured pint of milk to households. In 1915, John Van Wormer of Toledo, Ohio, was granted a United States patent for a “paper bottle” (actually a folded blank box) for milk that he called Pure-Pak. The proliferation of fridges in the 1950s, which allowed milk to be kept longer, meant fewer daily deliveries. By the 1990s, the deregulation of the British milk industry and the decision by supermarkets to sell milk - cheaply - in plastic containers changed everything.

In conclusion, why is it important to eat / drink dairy? Consuming dairy products provides health benefits — especially building and maintaining strong bones. Dairy design plays an important role in attracting consumers' attention and furthermore influences the perception of dairy products.

"Have patience, the grass will be milk soon enough." Chinese Proverb