LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
MY EXPERIENCE OF CREATING A NICHE PRODUCT IN NEW ZEALAND THE LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY STORY
SOME RANDOM FACTS We’ve been trading for 3 ½ years We have ~$50 million RSV #1 Business delivering supermarket growth of $20M in the last 12 months Our butters are growing at a compound rate of 55%. We have 50% of the organic milk market and have quadrupled the organic milk segment We’ve achieved 50+% of the flavoured milk market Our ice creams are No.1, 2 & 3 in the Premium segment LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
IT ALL STARTED WITH AN IDEA LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
BASED ON A SIMPLE AMBITION~ TO CREATE A PREMIUM DAIRY BRAND TO BE PROUD OF LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
QUALITY BEFORE QUANTITY New Zealand’s historic weakness is that our producers focus too much on commodities, technology and thin margins, to win sales. It all started in 1882. Lewis Road Creamery was formed as something of a personal mission to prove that there was demand for and value in quality dairy products LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
IT’S A CHAOTIC PROCESS LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
A THOUSAND THINGS AT ONCE LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
OUR FIRST ATTEMPT WAS A DISASTER LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
BUT IT LED TO THIS LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
MEANWHILE, IT WAS BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
THE CREAMERY - REALITY LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
‘The biggest impediment to success is the fear of looking foolish’ LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
OUR FIRST PRODUCT CAME SECOND… LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
The Stan Shih Smile Curve Higher Concept/R&D Sales/After Service Value Branding Marketing Design Distribution Manufacturing Lower Production Chain Time
OUR ORGANIC MILK RANGE LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
OUR PREMIUM MILKS LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY CHOCOLATE MILK WITH CHOCOLATE FROM WHITTAKER’S
Customers queuing for hours to buy it THE “CHOCOLYPSE” Customers queuing for hours to buy it Supermarkets rationed 1-2 bottles per customer Counterfeit product emerged Black market had it selling for 5x retail price Articles in all major daily newspapers 6 PM News & TV features, dozens of radio interviews, hundreds of online news platforms LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
NOW THE FAMILY IS GROWING LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
OUR LATEST ADDITION LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
SOCIAL MEDIA, IN COMBINATION WITH P.R. AND ‘RIFLE SHOT’ ADVERTISING LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
AND THERE ARE A RAFT OF NEW PRODUCTS ON THE WAY LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
SOME THINGS YOU MIGHT LEARN FROM THIS A BRAND’S SUCCESS IS EQUAL PARTS PRODUCT AND ‘BRANDING’ Our mantra is ‘the branding has to be perfect and the product has to be better’ Brands can be created and old brands superseded in record time Nothing is sacred Don’t under-rate ignorance Move quickly. Course correct. ‘Fail fast’ Don’t over-think things LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
MY ADVICE TO YOU Decide what you want to achieve and calibrate your resources in line with your ambitions. Decide if you’re part of the ‘HERITAGE BREEDS’ movement or you want to stand alone. Decide how far up the value chain you want to go. If you want to create added value, you have to have a ‘COMPELLING REASON TO BELIEVE’ What is it that Guernsey milk and cream provides to savvy consumers that others don’t? LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
MY ADVICE TO YOU Find someone to work with. Don’t feel you have to do it alone. Find a signature product that represents your values and benefits Find the best ‘POINT OF ENTRY” to the consumer’s heart, mind and fridge. The branding has to be brilliant, the product better. But neither one is sufficient without the other. Establish clever ways to get your message out. Think about key influencers – restaurateurs, foodies. Use ‘new media’ to spread the word efficiently LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
MY ADVICE TO YOU Look to others and what they’ve achieved. In New Zealand, Angus Beef has carved out a serous market. Find other examples, use them as the basis to judge your own efforts. Set realistic expectations. Then burn the bridges and go for it. LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
‘Live dangerously, take things as they come, dread nought, all will be well’ Winston Churchill ‘ LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY
LEWIS ROAD CREAMERY