Brazilian company Jussara has become Latin America’s first-ever dairy producer to adopt an aseptic blow-fill cap solution equipped with dry preform decontamination. With this solution
from Sidel, Jussara expands its portfolio with a new PET bottle to differentiate its brands on the shelves in a market dominated by carton. The first milk to be bottled using this technology is a long shelf life milk (UHT) enriched with added calcium and vitamins. Branded as Jussara Max, the product has already received positive reactions from the Brazilian consumers.
In 2013, the Brazilian market consumed 6.3 billion litres of UHT milk, a figure which makes Brazil the largest consumer of UHT milk in the world. UHT milk is the main type of milk consumed in Brazil, with a 60% share of the drinking-milk market, against 13% for pasteurized milk and 27% for milk powder. UHT milk consumption grew 4% last year and is still gaining market share, with over 90% penetration in Brazilian homes.
In this very dynamic market, the family-owned company Jussara is the ninth largest producer of dairy products in Brazil, with continuously growing total sales and currently ranking fifth in terms of the Brazilian UHT milk market. In looking to extend its portfolio of products Jussara wanted to meet consumers’ demands in terms of innovative products with special formulation and function, through user-friendly packages which are easier to handle and to store, therefore offering greater practicality.
In a domestic market for milk dominated by carton, Jussara wanted to differentiate its brands on the shelves and the PET bottle was a revolutionary step. After more than a year of investigating the potential options and a long period of discussion with Sidel, one of the leading global providers of PET solutions for liquid packaging, Jussara decided to invest in a new production line for its premium UHT milk. The decision was taken to introduce innovative and different packaging – drawing on the flexible design possibilities that PET delivers as a material – to offer greater brand recognition for the consumer. This new PET
line, located in the Patrocínio Paulista plant, some five hours north of São Paulo city in São Paulo state, was commissioned in November 2014. Jussara then introduced its Jussara Max range for long-life milk with added calcium and vitamin D in a PET plastic bottle, a real breakthrough in a Brazilian market dominated by the carton package. The milk, based on a special formulation, is distributed in full-fat, skimmed and half skimmed versions.
“We were convinced by the marketing opportunity the PET bottle could offer to our UHT premium milk. Our challenge was to create innovative and functional packaging which was cost-efficient and sustainable to produce. PET bottles have all the qualities necessary to meet our expectations. They give a freedom in package design to differentiate our
products on the supermarket shelves. They perfectly match with the consumers’ expectations, as they are userfriendly, tough and resealable. They also offer great physical product and food barrier protection benefits, retaining milk’s fresh taste and vitamin content,” explains Laercio Barbosa, commercial director and owner of Jussara.
Although milk and liquid dairy products’ quality can be easily compromised by micro organism growth and alterations caused by the effects of light, oxygen and temperature, PET bottles contribute to an extended shelf life and safety throughout the supply chain. Its
closure tightness also adds to PET’s convenience, even without the use of aluminium foil, and PET is 100% recyclable.
