Success story: how to create great tasting lactose free milk, easily

A few years ago, Crediton Dairy, a UK based company focusing on valued added milk products, wished to make an entrance to the growing lactose free dairy market with a good tasting lactose free milk product. Traditionally, achieving this requires substantial investments, but with the help of Valio – world’s leading expert in lactose free dairy – they were able to overcome this challenge. In less than one year after the first trial, Crediton Dairy had a product ready for launch.

1. Discovering the business opportunity

The lactose free dairy market is growing globally, along with the general Free From and wellbeing trends. Free From claims are among the most dynamic claims in today’s food industry. The demand for lactose free dairy has grown consistently in recent years, together with growing awareness of lactose intolerance.

Crediton Dairy wanted to enter on this ever-growing market and create a good tasting lactose free milk product without the risk of a huge upfront investment.

2. Quick solution to success

By using the patented Valio FAST TRACK™ technology solution for lactose free milk, our client was able to start the production of lactose free milk in a very short period – without an immediate capital investment. We worked together with their dedicated team in technology transfer and analytical methods and shared our general go-to-market experience in this field. All this helped them reach their goals as fast as possible and strengthen their position as an innovative and highly efficient added value milk supplier.

Production could be started without an immediate big capital investment

But what exactly is Valio FAST TRACK™ technology solution?

Lactose intolerant or not, people are not willing to compromise on either flavor or nutrition. Valio’s technology was applied in 2001 to produce the world’s first truly lactose free milk drink. It contains less than 0,01 % lactose yet taste exactly like the regular milk.

Valio’s patented technology is the only fast solution to achieve this. It was made possible with the never-ending R&D of Valio, and now, we license this solution to dairy companies across the world.

As the name suggest, it truly is a fast track solution, capable of delivering a launch-ready product in less than a year without immediate capital investment.

How it was achieved

In 2017, with the help of Valio’s technical experts, the first trial was run in client’s production site. After this, the process steps were optimized to improve the efficiency and to verify a constantly good quality of lactose free milk. Thanks to the commitment and expertise of both the Crediton Dairy’s team and Valio experts, the finished product was ready for sale within a year.

"Valio have been a fantastic partner in helping Crediton Dairy to develop our lactose free milk range for a successful UK market launch."

3. Impressive results

The results were staggering: Crediton Dairy went from selling no lactose free milk in the first half of 2018 to selling an annualised run rate of 10 million litres/year by the end of 2019, with the business growing steadily. All this was achieved without a big capital investment or any readiness to produce lactose free milk before implementing Valio FAST TRACK™ technology solution.

Tim Smiddy, Managing Director of Crediton Dairy said: "Valio’s lactose free milk technology allowed us to enter the fast growing lactose free milk market quickly and without significant capital investment. The ability to produce great tasting lactose free milk that tastes just like fresh milk is the key to its success. Valio have been a fantastic partner in helping Crediton Dairy to develop our lactose free milk range for a successful UK market launch and the range continues to deliver significant growth."

Valio FAST TRACK™ technology solution

Valio FAST TRACK™ technology solution for lactose free milk is the only fast solution to produce lactose free milk with authentic regular milk taste and 0 % lactose. It offers an extremely fast path from preliminary test trials to product launch. With our solution you will also receive the full technical support and go-to-market knowledge of our Fast Track team. We work closely with partners worldwide to provide a winning solution tailored to their specific needs, with readiness to guide and assist with every step from licensing to produce 100 % tasty lactose free milk.

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Dennis van der Veer

Head of Customer DevelopmentContact our expert to get more information on Valio FAST TRACK™ technology solution.

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