Asia Pacific: Mengniu debuts octagonal shaped milk carton

Mengniu, a leading Chinese dairy manufacturer, has upgraded its premium line of organic milk in collaboration with Tetra Pak, making it the first white milk in the world to use Tetra Prisma Aseptic 250 Edge with DreamCap.

The new product line has a higher protein content, tastes better and stands out on the shelf thanks to a refreshed look.

“With the premium milk market becoming increasingly crowded in recent years, we recognized the importance of working with Mengniu to rejuvenate its brand and enhance its leadership position, with a product to meet the newly emerging consumer needs,” Tina Zheng, Operational Marketing Director at Tetra Pak China tells Food News International.
 
“Compared to older generations, Millennials are more willing to pay for value.”

“Their demands are different: they pay more attention to nutritional benefits, they want their drinks to come in packages that can be carried around while on-the-go.”

“They want the product experience to go beyond just the content and they use their consumption habits as a mean of expressing themselves.”

The need for change

Having been a partner to the dairy company since its establishment in 1999, Tetra Pak in 2005 worked with Mengniu to create premium milk brand, Telunsu, using Tetra Brik Aseptic 250ml Slim package.

“Following its success, many companies launched their own premium brands, all using the same Tetra Brik Aseptic 250ml Slim package,” said Zheng.

“With the premium milk market becoming increasingly crowded in recent years, we recognized the importance of working with Mengniu to rejuvenate its brand and enhance its leadership position, with a product to meet the newly emerging consumer needs.”
 
Upon research and discussion with Mengniu, the two companies focused on both the product and the package, resulting to a conclusion that both micro filtration and direct heating technologies could improve the taste and nutritional value of milk.

This led to the final concept using the Tetra Prisma Aseptic 250 Edge package.
 
To gain market exposure and consumer awareness, Mengniu took advantage of the growing online grocery trend in China, promoting the product via all major online shopping channels such as Tmall, JD, Taobao, as well as in traditional retail stores, taking an omni-channel approach.

While consumers are used to seeing milk products in brick shaped carton packages, holding one with an octagonal shape, a large resealable opening and the metallic effect on the carton is something new.

“This is the first time the new package has been used in China and the first time in the world it has been used for a white milk,” Zheng tells Food News International.

“This means the product looks entirely different from its competitors and is particularly appealing to the younger consumers due to its shape, design and the metallic printing effect.”
 
“According to our latest consumer research, TPA packages are popular among Chinese consumers because of their ergonomic shape and visual appeal. TPA Edge 250ml with DreamCap is the most popular of all carton packages with a cap, which makes it an ideal choice for this premium milk product.

Despite the new packaging look and feel, Tetra Pak says the same packaging technologies are used for both organic and non-organic milk, thereby giving more flexibility to milk producers.