Olper’s Launches Cheese

As the US dollar kept spiking against the rupee, imported breakfast essentials such as cheese became even more expensive for local consumers. Although local alternatives are available, they are not comparable to their imported counterparts in terms of quality. This led Olper’s, which terms itself a breakfast essentials brand, to launch its cheese slices and blocks as quality and cost attractive alternatives.

Olper’s has a long standing narrative about the importance of morning nutrition and has been investing in highlighting the different ways to make mornings healthier. According to Faisal Razi, Director Marketing, FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan, “Olper’s is in a good position to build on the concept of morning nutrition with its credibility and eventually benefit the category as a whole.”

Cheese is a growing category in Pakistan, but with limited local investments so far. As a first step, the company undertook research based on understanding consumer consumption habits in this regard. Razi adds that “the unique Reason-to-Believe (RTB) what Olper’s is proposing with its cheese offerings is that one slice of Olper’s cheese is packed with the nutritional equivalent of one glass of Olper’s milk, making it an ideal complement to bread in the morning.”

Olper’s is not the only local brand to offer cheese slices and blocks. Other brands include Adams, DayFresh, and Nurpur. International brands do not offer competitive prices, but those like President and Happy Cow do have a decent penetration in the market. Olper’s has launched three competitively priced variants; Olper’s Cheddar Cheese Slices (200g) – PKR 465, Olper’s Cheddar Cheese Block (200g) – PKR 470, and Olper’s Mozzarella Cheese Block (200g) – PKR 510. These prices are attractive compared to Happy Cow slices, which are currently priced at PKR 600 and rising according to the changes in exchange rates. Prices on the local front are in the PKR 500 – 550 price range. Olper’s are also working on launching more convenient SKUs, as well as exploring spreadable cheese options.

Leveraging its existing supply chain, Olper’s has launched its cheese range in the three major metropolitans – Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad – for now, and will be expanding to other cities. The products are also available on Foodpanda’s Pandamart and the intention is to extend distribution to other e-commerce platforms.

Olper’s is targeting families belonging to SECs A and B, particularly mothers, hence the ‘Breakfast Ki Jaan’ campaign. According to Razi, the brief was to highlight the fact that “Olper’s is launching a new breakfast solution to keep families happy, healthy and strong. The campaign is derivative of the overall theme: ‘Olper’s Ki Happy *Subah’.” *

Along with the TVC, the product has been promoted on digital, radio, OOH and activations in the form of tastings in stores, malls and food streets in Karachi and Lahore. Razi says, “all platforms have their signature benefits and are contributing toward creating awareness by encouraging trials. We don’t believe in sticking to one platform; we are looking for complementary reach across several platforms in tandem.”

In terms of challenges, Razi points out that “the rising cost of electricity and fuel is a big challenge because maintaining the right temperature throughout our supply chain is key to ensuring consumers get the right experience.”

Nevertheless, in his opinion, the category has a great deal to offer as it still has much to catch up with compared to other dairy categories in Pakistan. Hence, the short-term plan is to distribute in more cities. He adds that Olper’s has been extensively promoting its recently launched flavoured milk and the brand is building its product portfolio to target more categories.