Malta Dairy Products Ltd has embarked on an across-the-board rebranding exercise of its entire range of fresh milk and milk products and introduced new items that will hit the shelves from today.
Fresh milk is being offered having three levels of fat contents. Together with the traditional 2.5 per cent fat milk and 0.3 per cent fat skimmed milk, MDP is introducing a 3.5 per cent fat "whole milk", intended for customers who prefer a creamier taste in their drinking milk, cereals, tea and coffee. Fresh milk is being packed in standard litre and half-litre cartons.
The existent range of flavoured milk is being replaced by a new range of high-quality fresh milk drinks, namely chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. The new products are free of any artificial flavours, colours, aspartame and other sweeteners and come in 500ml packs, the company says.
The Benna yogurt range has also been revamped and clearly categorised into light yogurt, yogurt and dessert yogurt. MDP has also labelled all its yogurts as either smooth or with real fruit pieces. The smooth yogurts are intended for children.
New flavours have been added and include banana, light apple pie, light lemon tart and dessert white chocolate. The milk used in the light apple pie and lemon tart yogurts has a fat content of 0.3 per cent.
MDP says all its products are being presented in a colourful new style. The Benna logo "is now flowing in an upward movement, symbolising the freshness of its products and the continuous progress that has gone into making them".
"All the investment that has been pumped into both the dairy and the farms is today being expressed into a re-launch of the much-loved and well known brand name, Benna, with a revamped brand identity that deservingly reflects the quality of our products. This is not just a design exercise but a confirmation of what Benna products truly are: local fresh produce made using the best quality milk and milk products with the best technology available," company secretary Martin Grech says.
The company explains that its products are obtained every day from Maltese and Gozitan farms, processed and delivered in a matter of hours in order to maintain the freshness and nutrient content.
In an effort to continue upgrading the whole chain up to delivery to outlets, during the last years, MDP says it made a significant multi-million euro investment in the 140 dairy farms in Malta and Gozo, which house over 8,000 milk-producing cows, and in the company's state-of-the-art dairy in Ħamrun.
MDP's history goes back to 1938 when a government department, then known as the Milk Marketing Undertaking (MMU) was set up to start pasteurising and packaging milk. In 1986, the responsibilities of MMU were taken up by the MDP, owned by the Kooperativa Produtturi tal-Ħalib, the Maltese dairy farmers' cooperative (70 per cent shareholding), and Malta Enterprise (30 per cent shareholding).
MDP processes, packs and distributes fresh liquid milk collected daily from about 95 dairy farms in Malta and another 45 in Gozo. The milk is not sterilised but simply pasteurised to retain its fresh taste and quality.
The brand name, Benna, originates from the Maltese word bnin (wholesome) and refers to the high nutrient value of fresh milk products.
Apart from milk and yoghurts, MDP also produces cream and a range of cheeses including mozzarella and traditional Maltese favourites such as ricotta and cheeselets (ġbejniet).