Berchtesgadener Land: Tradition meets quality in the milk market!

Berchtesgadener Land: Tradition meets quality in the milk market!

A new wind is blowing through Berchtesgadener Land: The Berchtesgadener Land dairy, which has made a name for itself through its regional and high-quality milk production, is bringing an innovative product onto the market - “Cream for cooking”. This consists of real cream and a vegetable stabilizer and not only scores with fewer ingredients, but also with more credibility. Managing director Pointner, 49 years old, attaches great importance to transparency and highlights the disadvantages of industrial “cooking creams”, which are often enriched with buttermilk, skimmed milk powder and thickeners. The focus is clearly on the quality of the products, which Investment Week underlines.

The dairy is a cooperative that has around 1,600 members who keep an average of 30 cows per farm. The milk is collected at altitudes of up to 1,600 meters, even under difficult conditions. “Bergbauernmilch” – a product that has been marketed since 1988 – follows the principle of regional origin and short transport routes, with a turnover of around 345 million euros and a remarkable growth of 4.4%. The equity share is an impressive 83%, a solid base that ensures a stable payout for member farmers even if demand falls.

Challenges in the organic dairy sector

The production of organic milk is another exciting topic. Many organic dairy farms are currently faced with the challenge of switching back to conventional milk production due to the difficult market situation, which is discussed in Landwirt. The six largest organic milk producers in the EU - Germany, France, Denmark, Austria, Italy and Sweden - recorded a production peak of 4.97 million tonnes of organic milk in 2022. But for 2023 there will be a decline in milk volume of 2.6%.

However, the Berchtesgadener Land dairy has consciously decided to continue to rely on organic production in the future. It is considered the first organic-certified dairy in Germany and keeps organic and conventional products strictly separated. In addition, there is no private label production for retailers, which represents an important positioning in the market these days.

Market changes and plant-based alternatives

Another trend the dairy industry is seeing is the rise of plant-based alternatives. Current figures show that the market share of plant-based alternatives in Germany will already be around 10% in 2024, forcing the industry to take new paths. Competitors are putting a lot of pressure on prices, particularly in the food retail sector, which has an impact on the entire market structure, as Statista analyzes. However, the company has internalized the lessons of provenance and price communication and has a clear competitive strategy focused on real dairy products and regional distribution.

The Berchtesgadener Land dairy clearly shows that it is possible to compete without simply copying the market. Instead, they rely on their own strengths, the basis of their products, and thereby emphasize the importance of regionality in a changing market.