Bravo! extends fortified milk range with Masterfoods
flavored milks, has signed a licensing agreement with the
confectionery and snack food division of Mars, Masterfoods USA, to
produce, market and sell three of its fortified milk under Bravo!'s
Slammers brand.
Bravo! will now be responsible for Milky Way, Starburst and 3 Musketeers single-serve, fortified milk products.
The Slammers Milky Way product will be made with reduced-fat fortified milk, Starburst will be a blend of low-fat milk and natural juice - initially strawberry, peach and orange - and 3 Musketeers will be made with low-fat milk and will have no added sugar.
"These are some of the most popular and recognized brands in the nation," said Roy Warren, CEO of Bravo! Foods. "Each of these milk products will feature packaging that matches the candy brand with which it is associated." He added that the line should be available to ship to its national distribution network this fall.Bryce Boynton, account manager at the company, told NutraIngredientsUSA that all these products contained "10 essential vitamins and all the benefits of milk". However, he admitted there was somewhat of a mixed message being given out because of the link up between a so-called healthy product and candy.
"Masterfoods and Bravo! Are two separate companies though and we have signed up with them for the brand recognition," said Boynton.
Before this, the most recent Bravo! product to appear on the market was the Slim Slammers range, which is being marketed to health conscious customers as containing half the calories and half the carbs of regular milk and as having a third more calcium than regular varieties of the drink.
Bravo believes this drink gives the company a competitive edge over its market rivals as it hits the new consumer trend of low- as opposed to no-carbs.
"With Slim Slammers we are going in the right direction that some carbs are better for you than no carbs," said Mike Edwards, executive vice president of sales and marketing, when announcing the company's second quarter results in August.
Boynton said that until now this line has only been available in stores belonging to the Californian supermarket chain Ralphs, but that it had received a good response from buyers and the product will be rolled out nationwide in the coming months.
Back in August, Bravo! had claimed that "our product beats Nestle's Nesquick on carbs, calories and nutrition," and drawn attention to the Pro Slammers range of drinks, otherwise known as the "school line" because of the audience at which it is aimed. It had noted that schools looking at adding nutritional value to the products sold in their vending machines - in attempt to stem the rising tide of child obesity - were particularly interested in this beverage.
Speaking after the agreement with Masterfoods, Boynton said Bravo! was positioning itself as a "better for you" company.
"The trend in the US is towards health products, especially in the milk industry," he said. "Our role is to provide better for you products - they are all made from flavored milk and nutritious, but are not extreme health products."
