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"An innovation project often starts with a specific market need," says Sales Director Sander Verweij. "In many countries, yoghurt is produced from milk powder rather than fresh milk. Fresh dairy products are not always sufficiently available, and quality cannot always be guaranteed. That is why milk powder plays such an important role. It has a long shelf life, is easy to transport, tastes great and offers excellent nutritional value. To help people around the world benefit from the advantages of dairy, we export our high-quality milk powders to 130 countries, including for yoghurt production. A market in the Middle East approached us with the request to develop a fat filled powder that would increase yoghurt yield while maintaining the desired thickness and quality of the final product."
"We listen to the market, translate customer needs into innovation and create more value from milk."
Sander Verweij, Sales Director
Cross-functional project team
In response to this market demand, Vreugdenhil assembled a project team consisting of specialists from Sales, Quality, Product Development and Process Technology. Technologist Karola Fischer led the development process. "Together with an independent research institute, we examined the entire production process of fat filled powder," explains Karola. "In the end, the solution was not a single adjustment but the optimisation of several process steps."
High-quality milk as the foundation
According to Sander, challenges like these always start with the quality of the raw material. "Everything starts with high-quality milk. The consistent quality of the milk supplied by our dairy farmers enables us to further optimise our processes and develop premium products. Without that strong foundation, innovations like this would not be possible." For Sander, the project demonstrates what Vreugdenhil stands for. "We listen to the market, translate customer needs into innovation and create more value from milk. That benefits our suppliers, our customers and our own organisation. In other words, it creates value throughout the entire supply chain."
No compromise on taste. Improved yoghurt yield and texture
"During the development process, multiple product variants were extensively tested," says Karola. "Once the project team was satisfied with the results, we presented the new fat filled powder to customers to validate our findings. We evaluated not only yield and texture but also taste and functionality. The feedback has been very positive." She continues: "Customers report a clear improvement in both the yield and quality of their yoghurt products. In addition, our solution scores significantly better than competing products in terms of taste and texture. That confirms we are on the right track."
Following its successful introduction in the Middle East, the new fat filled powder is now being rolled out to other markets. What started as a local customer request has grown into an innovation with global potential, creating new opportunities for customers and for Vreugdenhil around the world.
