KIEWA Country milk will be back in Border shops within 10 days with the brand’s new owner also pledging iced coffee will return by Christmas.
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Kyvalley Dairy Group on Monday showed off the look of the plain milk with labels nearly identical to their previous appearance.
“We didn’t want to refresh and change the whole label, we thought it was important to make it recognisable,” Kyvally owner Wayne Mulcahy said.
“We’re saying we’re back, the old Kiewa’s back.”
The milk brand was processed by Murray Goulburn at its Kiewa dairy until July, when it was sold to Kyabram-based Kyvalley.
Mr Mulcahy stressed the revamped Kiewa Country will feature North East milk.
“The key message we want to get across to people is that people buying Kiewa Country are supporting the local farmers, that can’t be said with the other brands,” he said.
“It’s the real deal.”
Kyvalley company secretary Ian Geddes said that orders from stores over the next week would determine the size of the initial production run of milk.
One and two litre bottles of plain and light milk will be sold at IGA and Foodworks supermarkets as well as mixed businesses.
Mr Geddes said moves were being made to have it returned to Coles and Woolworths supermarkets.
The milk will be sold over an area extending from Wangaratta to Corryong.
Meanwhile, Kyvalley made its first trial batch of Kiewa Country iced coffee last week using the original recipe and ingredients.
A tasting panel of ten has sampled it over recent days with feedback positive.
Border Mail journalist Chris Young, who compared iced coffees for a story in August, approved of it.
“That tastes very familiar, it seems pretty close to the original,” Young said after trying it on Monday.
“It is not as sweet as some of other iced coffees, so having something stronger is a good thing.”
It will be packaged in 500-millilitre bottles with shrink wrap labelling, featuring the familiar Kiewa Country logo with coffee beans, adorning them.
Mr Geddes said it would be on sale by Christmas.
The relaunch follows Murray Goulburn announcing it was selling out to Canadian giant Saputo.
“We used to be able to work with Murray Goulburn,” Mr Mulcahy said.
“We used to buy and sell milk to them.
“We don’t know if we can do that with Saputo, because Saputo will now treat us as competition whereas with Murray Goulburn that wasn’t the case.”