The product, launched yesterday, marks the company's entry into the yoghurt drink market. Ruygrok said the value of the yoghurt drink market was likely to expand to RM70mil by year-end from RM55mil last year. Dutch Lady is expected to capture 20% to 30% of that market this year.
�Today, we are taking the step to enter the yoghurt drink market because it's the right time to gain a substantial position in this market,� he told reporters after the launch.
He added that Dutch Lady's offering was attractive as it did not contain fat and, hence, had 25% less calories compared with other yoghurt drinks in the market.
The dairy company was also likely to perform better this year compared with 2005, due to its innovative product offerings, Ruygrok said.
Cees H.M. Ruygrok and Dutch Lady marketing manager Van Toh Peng at a press conference after the launch of the latest product
Noting that sales grew close to 10% last year, he said: �I see no reason why we can't continue on this growth path.�
Dutch Lady, which released its full-year results on Wednesday, made a higher net profit of RM27.1mil last year compared with RM19.7mil a year ago. Revenue grew to RM459.1mil from RM420.5mil previously.
Dutch Lady yoghurt drink is targeted at young adults, aged between 18 and 25, who are health and image conscious.
�From market research, we can see that consumers' attitude and awareness of products that contain high percentage of fat and sugar are changing,� Ruygrok said earlier in his speech.
This latest offering, which is already available, is priced at RM1.75 for the 220g bottle and RM4.30 for the 750g bottle.
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