2023-09-15 14:25:00
The drink in fun packaging arrived on store shelves in October 2022. A healthy cocktail made from natural milk became a joint project of the Savushkin Product company and the TOP ice cream brand from BREMOR. Initially, customers were offered two flavors to try: “strawberry” and “milk chocolate.” Then “banana”, “pistachio-coconut” and “ice cream” appeared in the line. And in September they launched a long-awaited new product – “salted caramel”!
“TOP” is the case when a product enters the market at the right time. People needed fresh emotions, a sense of perspective… New tastes were able to convey all this. The “TOP” milkshake from “Savushkin Product” became a kind of response to a request, a trend, and quickly became established in the diet of Belarusians as a good mood drink. By the end of 2022, the milkshake became one of the company’s top products—at that time, an average of 35 thousand bottles of TOP milkshake were purchased daily in Belarus. Today there are already 70 thousand.
The originators of the creation of a new, successful product were marketer Tatyana Nozdrina and leading process engineer Ekaterina Gerasimchik.
“TOP” – for young people of any age
The idea to bring milkshakes to the market arose at the Savushkin Product company about 4 years ago. They were looking for new product niches here, and the milkshake segment was not very developed at that time compared to categories such as drinking yoghurts, for example. For years, milkshakes on the domestic market were presented mainly by Russian manufacturers, and they all worked with a specific target audience. Savushkin marketers closely monitored changes in the market and stated with regret that the demand for the product was static. Only in 2022, when the world was emerging from the difficult period of the pandemic, when active people desperately wanted new sensations and discoveries, the company made a decision: it’s time!
“It was very important to determine the target audience of the product,” says Tatyana Nozdrina. – We decided to position the TOP milkshake as a product for people 20-35 years old – young, perky, cheerful. In the product portfolio of the Savushkin Product company there was no separate brand specifically for this audience; developing a new one and “promoting” it among consumers would have taken a lot of time. But it was unacceptable to lose the chance. Therefore, we turned to our colleagues from BREMOR: in their portfolio there was just a brand that ideally suited our request – “TOP”. When we decided to collaborate, we understood that we were getting an excellent example to start with, into which the new category should fit perfectly, and in the future, complement and develop the brand of ice cream known throughout the country. It was also pleasant that our colleagues willingly shared their work and experience with us.
Before the appearance of “TOP” milkshakes, there were two main options on the Belarusian market: children’s cocktails, bottled in small packaging, and drinks for family consumption – 1 liter. And – an important nuance – their shelf life. Bottled in TVA packages, they could be stored for six months or more. And “TOP” is natural, it’s meant to be drunk “here and now.” Our product does not contain preservatives, so its shelf life is only 15 days. This important difference was determined by the TOP audience itself: people who are constantly on the move, love to travel, hang out, meet friends – young by conviction, regardless of age.
“The demand and sales of TOP milkshakes make it clear: we have met the needs of the target audience,” continues Tatyana, “the wide popularity of the brand in the ice cream category, the reasonable price, and bright packaging played a big role. In just 2 months, our “TOP” became the leader in the milkshake market in Belarus with a sales share of 60 percent. Now we are approaching 73!
Life hack from Tatyana Nozdrina
— The easiest way to drink a milkshake is to just take it and drink it. You can pour cereal flakes and use them with breakfast cereals instead of the usual milk. My favorite “TOP” is chocolate: if you warm it up a little, the drink takes on new shades of taste and becomes like perfect homemade cocoa.
Natural drink in optimistic packaging
Leading process engineer Ekaterina Gerasimchik worked with a team of colleagues on TOP cocktails. It was a complex process with the search for the exact exclusive recipe. Technologists launched and discontinued milkshakes twice – the product was brought to perfection.
“In 2020-2021, we began developing a whole line that included 9 flavors,” recalls Ekaterina Gerasimchik. — At that time, there were already cocktails in Belarus – mostly in aseptic TetraPak packaging with a shelf life of at least 6 months. We wanted to offer customers convenient packaging that allows them to drink the cocktail on the go. The naturalness of the drink also became an important factor. Both of these conditions affect shelf life and make them shorter. We understood: introducing a product with a short shelf life to the market is a big risk. They decided to go for it only in 2022.
The “TOP” cocktail has become unique. And the consumer instantly appreciated its attractiveness. In addition to the bright, optimistic packaging, it has completely non-standard taste characteristics and composition. Thanks to its low fat content of 2%, the TOP cocktail has a light, but at the same time pronounced creamy taste. Compared to products from other manufacturers, it has a very low sugar content, which also affects the taste – making it subtle and balanced. TOP cocktails technically do not fall into the category of healthy, sports or dietary nutrition, but all the beneficial nutritional properties of milk are preserved in them.
Life hack from Ekaterina Gerasimchik
— In hot weather, I recommend a classic, chilled version of the cocktail. When vigorously shaking the drink, a delicate foam forms in the bottle. A ice cream-flavored cocktail will be an excellent replacement for milk in coffee.
Tatyana Shelamova
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