“Fonterra would be the first to say they haven’t really diversified into higher value products but I think farmers could think about that too.”
Some are breaking away from Fonterra with their own customer-focussed ventures, he noted, but they should also be pushing their co-operative to be more market led, he said, criticising the light-proof milk bottle initiative.
“That’s all just rubbish in terms of the real science on the time the product sees light. It’s really a failed marketing thing.”
A better approach is marketing “boutique” milk products such as nutritionally fortified blends, he believes.
“I would buy a super-fat milk for instance.”
Avery says Fonterra is starting to move in the right direction, but the inertia for that is coming from competitors and typically it takes 20 years to ring the changes in “embedded” industry organisations such as Fonterra, he warned.
