O-I teams with Hungarian dairy firm
Glass container manufacturer Owens-Illinois (O-I) has teamed up with Hungarian dairy supplier Cserpes Sajtműhely to open a new market for healthy, non-allergenic dairy products.
The Budapest-based company has launched a range of lactose-free milk and yogurts, filled exclusively in glass containers from O-I. Many Hungarians had grown up without the opportunity to taste milk in glass, O-I said, and Istvan Cserpes, owner of Cserpes Sajtműhely, has claimed that these new products would help renew a much-loved tradition.
The new milk is packed in O-I’s 50cl Bohus standard bottle and the yoghurt in 28cl Siola jars. Both products are made at the Dubi plant in the Czech Republic.
“Everyone is interested in health nowadays and we are sure these new products will appeal both to older generations and to health-conscious consumers who are too young to remember a time when milk consumption from glass was part of daily life,” said Istvan Cserpes.
O-I Hungary sales coordinator Guido Robustelli said: “This is a result of a four-year partnership between O-I and the customer to develop the right pack and the right product to enthuse Hungarian consumers. The number of people suffering lactose allergies is increasing across Hungary, so consumers have been waiting for this for a long time. In addition, the health and environmental credentials of glass and the renewal of the tradition of milk in glass meet the nation’s developing interest in authentic food and drink.”
Environmental considerations play a large role in the product launch, O-I said. Consumers can return the empty glass containers to Cserpes milk bars or shops and Cserpes will collect and return them to O-I for use as cullet. This provides a great opportunity to heighten awareness of the 100% recyclability of glass and improve waste management across the country, the packaging manufacturer said.
It follows on the heels of Müller Dairies’ announcement that it would extend its Milk&More doorstep milk delivery programme in the UK.
