RIVERINA Fresh milk is set to embark on a new advertising campaign pushing its Border credentials.
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The move by the Wagga company follows the Kyabram processor of Kiewa Country milk undertaking a marketing drive centred around localism.
Riverina Fresh brand manager Neal Hayes flagged the promotion during a visit on Thursday to a dairy farm, west of Corowa, which supplies milk to his company.
Property owners Cliff and Jan Twigg had been selling milk to Murray Goulburn until a few months before it closed its Kiewa dairy in 2017, resulting in Kiewa Country milk no longer being processed in the North East.
Mr Hayes said the promotion would focus on Riverina Fresh's ties to the Border, but he played down a direct comparison to the Kiewa milk advertisements.
"From our point of view we're here to focus on ourselves and our own message," Mr Hayes said.
"I think we have a good story to tell through having Linda (Coon, Wodonga-based distributor) and the likes of Cliff locally.
"Any campaign is about getting our own story out."
Mr Hayes declined to be specific about how well Riverina Fresh was doing on the Border, since being adopted by Coon's Dairy which previously distributed Murray Goulburn milk products.
"Its (market share has) increased and we've got to the point where we're happy with the sales we have," he said.
Ms Coon, who grew up in her family business, said milk sales had "always been a competitive industry and it's no different today".
She welcomed the new advertising move.
"For us it's the local people we employ, the local services we use; the fuel, the mechanics and the electricians we use and the whole community benefits," Ms Coon said.
Remarkably Thursday was the first time Ms Coon had visited a dairy farm, despite having been involved in the family enterprise since 1983 when she was an eight year-old.
She was joined on the visit by representatives from Albury-Wodonga businesses, the Commercial Club, Arnold's Fruit Market and Piccolo Pod.
Riverina Fresh area manager for milk supply Sherrene Thompson said the farm visit was aimed at connecting those at each end of the dairy process.
It was the first time Mr Twigg had participated and he enjoyed the process.
He compared being part of Riverina Fresh to his days supplying defunct Albury milk processor Haberfields, which he referred to as Habbies.
"You're a supplier rather than just a number," he said.
"Murray Goulburn had 2000 suppliers, Fonterra's massive and Australian Consolidated Milk the same."
