Building on the tradition of Swiss

BUILDING ON THE TRADITION OF SWISS DAIRY PRODUCTS

The Elsa-Mifroma Group, the dairy products arm of Switzerland’s largest employer, is preparing to bring its extensive range of high-quality, sustainably produced milk, cheese and yoghurts to a wider geographical market. Following an interview with CEO Matthew Robin, Emma-Jane Batey reports for Industry Europe.

AS part of one of the seven business segments that make up Migros Industry, one of Switzerland’s largest enterprises and the country’s biggest employer, the Elsa-Mifroma Group represents the milk products segment.

Based in the west of Switzerland, the ElsaMifroma Group benefits from the unique structure of its parent company, Migros, which has been run as a cooperative since it was founded in 1925. Sustainable development throughout the following 85 years has played an important role in establishing and maintaining the market-leading positions held across the group, as the Elsa-Mifroma Group CEO, Matthew Robin, explained. He said, “We are a proud Swiss company with a long-term focus on durable production. That means sustainability in everything we do, not just now because it is fashionable but because it is the right thing to do for our country, our employees and our products.”

Commitment to sustainability

The dedication to durable production underpins every aspect of the Elsa-Mifroma Group. The Migros philosophy and not being a publically listed company enables the Elsa-Mifroma Group to focus on what it believes makes for a more sustainable, socially responsible business, while still making adequate profits that can be reinvested to further develop the business. Mr Robin added, “It’s ironic that by not focusing only on profit maximisation, we actually end up making good profits. But that is the beauty of running a large-scale business, or indeed any business, in a socially conscious, ethically managed way – it is rewarding in so many ways. Our philosophy has always been to provide good quality, high standard products at a reasonable price in a responsible manner, and by doing so we have created a very successful industrial group.”

The range of dairy products offered by the Elsa-Mifroma Group includes milk and cream, yoghurts, desserts and fresh cheese, and the company also makes soya products, salad dressings, sauces and mayonnaise. With more than 300 cheeses in its portfolio, the Elsa-Mifroma Group is a principal provider of cheese to the Swiss market, with a growing presence in the neighbouring countries. Upholding the Swiss tradition of producing delicious dairy products using high-quality milk

from well-looked-after cattle, the company is proud to offer both traditional products such as block cheese and plain yoghurts as well as trend-led products including organic yoghurts and convenience packs.

Product development at Elsa-Mifroma is led by the extensive trend research the company has access to as part of Migros, and also its own dairy-specific research. Mr Robin said, “As the Swiss franc is performing strongly we have to make sure now more than ever that our products are cost competitive as well as delicious. We are continually looking to the market trends, both mega trends and local trends, to ensure that our current product lines and new products are welcomed by our customers, and that they fit in with our ‘durable production’ philosophy. We work closely with Migros as it has, through its supermarket operations, direct input from the retail market on a day-to-day basis; this gives us exceptionally quick access to valuable data. We also subscribe to trend analysis information. It’s a holistic approach to giving customers what they want, which is what the company and the overall group is all about.”

Popular and delicious

Elsa-Mifroma’s export tradition is built on its cheese competences, especially in selecting and maturing Swiss Gruyère cheese in its extraordinary natural caves in the alpine foothills of the region of Fribourg in Switzer-

land and it exports a wide variety of Swiss cheese sorts to France, Germany, the USA and other countries. In the milk products area, Elsa-Mifroma’s best-selling product range in the export market is its Swiss Delice brand, which is focused on high-quality yoghurts, desserts and milk drinks. The yoghurts are based on high-end products in Switzerland and are especially popular in Germany and France: they have a pureed fruit layer below a layer of natural cream yoghurt, and are often consumed as a premium dessert. A popular ready-to-drink coffee product called ‘Grande Caffè’ is also available in these markets and complements the Swiss Delice brand.

The convenience market also represents an important growth area for the Elsa-Mifroma Group, with ‘on the go’ products becoming increasingly popular across Europe. One such product that will soon be launched is the Mix Me dessert, which is a portion of creme dessert with a separate mix of chocolate balls or other complementary solid product, and it comes with its own coloured funny spoon in the lid for easy consumption.

Mr Robin added, “Convenience ranges are expanding within retail businesses and we are keen to have our products visible, giving customers what they want, when they want it. This principle is also reflected in our lighter, low-fat and organic ranges – customers want this choice now, without compromising on flavour. Our Léger brand has a number of healthy eating products to offer a welcome alternative to the ‘weight loss’ focus of other light or low-fat products – we focus on being healthy rather than losing weight, which fits in well with the psyche of many Swiss and European customers.”

As Elsa-Mifroma looks forward to 2012 and beyond, it is planning to expand its market reach outside its Swiss heartland, with the aim to deliver milk and dairy products to more neighbouring countries and cheese products worldwide. Continuing the durable production commitment goes without saying. n

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