German dairy giant Muller has launched a branded range of butter in the UK, targeting the country's convenience retail and foodservice sectors.
The company is selling 250g packs of butter made at its plant in Market Drayton. Muller has already been manufacturing block butter to sell to food manufacturers.
Carl Ravenhall, MD of Muller's UK unit Müller Wiseman Dairies, said the move would help boost sales of UK-made dairy products.
"It's a great example of how we can displace imports with products made in Britain, with cream from British farms, and I’m pleased to say that the impact of investment in butter-making is starting to have a significant impact on the dairy trade imbalance which exists in this country. In the last year, our first year in butter making, imports dropped by 10% and exports increased by a staggering 37% We hope that by adding another string to our bow with quality, fresh British packet butter for private label and convenience customers, we can further displace these imports and continue to add value to every drop of milk we process."
He added: "We are ambitious for the future of British butter, and see a range of opportunities for us in the pipeline in terms of packs, sizes, formats, both in own-label and branded."
