Ramak recently launched Labneh cheese with doubled Protein and Calcium.

The product, potentially disruptive in the Iranian cheese market, is the first result of Ramak's new cheese strategy.

Certius helped Ramak dairy develop a strategy to create new and profitable market space in breakfast cheese market.

Ramak’s objective was to establish themselves as a key market player in cheese by carving out a strong and viable position in the market; servicing yet unmet consumer needs; and creating new market segments.

Certius performed a sound analysis of the market, Ramak’s competitors, trade, and consumers' need states and usage behavior. They analyzed the strategies that make cheese companies successful in other advanced markets. Certius defined new category concepts along new benefit areas and configured strong brand bundles to effectively serve consumer needs and build new business.
Certius developed a tailor-made market strategy for Ramak’s cheese business whilst serving consumer needs which are relevant to Iranian consumers but not yet met by the activities of existing incumbents.

To know more about the results of recent launched cheese, we interviewed Ramak's Marketing and Advertising Manager, Mohammad HashemPour

Ramak Labneh Cheese with 2x Protein and Calcium

Mohammad HashemPour, Ramak's Marketing and Advertising Manager, says about "Ramak Labneh Cheese with 2x Protein and Calcium": This new product is produced based on the market and consumers' needs. During the research, respondents talked about a dairy product which contains high amounts of protein to build up the muscles as well as calcium needed for strong bones. The study results demonstrated that consumers asked for a product which could provide enough micronutrients for their body. Other important factors which were found during the research were a soft texture (spreadable to eat with bread) and a delicious taste. Once finished the consumer research process, our R&D team started to develop the new Labneh cheese, and the main challenge was to have double the calcium but still a great taste. They did an excellent job and achieved this. Then we launched it, using the positive product test results as argument to get trade listings. So the product has been developed exactly according to consumer need states.

This is an innovation in the Iranian cheese market and there is no comparable competition product. Also we understood that international cheeses available in the Iranian market are fortified with protein, but the higher protein content negatively affects the texture, making it harder, so there it is less pleasurable for consumers compared to the Ramak product.

We launched our cheese around 2 months ago very successfully and now we plan to increase the production.

Ramak's Marketing and Advertising Manager talked about the role of Certius Consultancy in achieving the success of this product.  He explained Certius helped in different parts of this launch:

• Identifying the consumer needs and unversed spaces and leading our R&D to develop this product with the right specifications
• Supporting Ramak to define a new product based on consumer needs
• Support to launch it in the market successfully

HashemPour continued: “We conducted market and consumer research to have a fact-based understanding of unversed consumer needs in order to develop and launch the new cheese. Moreover, Ramak has launched with a comprehensive marketing and sales plan and big ambitions. We got the endorsement from Iran Nutrition Association for this product.”

At the end he added: “We launched the product nationally, while following up the process to get listings in chain stores as well. Given the success of this launch Ramak will increase the new cheese’s distribution and use it to build a strong new revenue stream.”