What's New
The Quality of all Promasidor’s Dairy products is assured
In light of the recent infant formula crisis in China’s dairy industry, the Promasidor Group would like to reassure consumers that no dairy products in our stable have been (or ever will be) contaminated by the chemical, melamine. Promasidor’s dairy products have been manufactured to the highest quality standards and are subject to the most stringent quality control processes available.
All Promasidor’s milk products are sourced from New Zealand and Ireland, recognised as being leading suppliers of dairy products worldwide. The authorities in both countries have assured the public that absolutely no ingredients from China are used in any part of the manufacturing process.
Even though melamine contamination is limited to China, comprehensive testing was still undertaken by independent laboratory, AsureQuality, to confirm the absence of melamine in any dairy products sourced from our respective suppliers. Ongoing testing, both by our suppliers and independent regulatory authorities, will continue to ensure that melamine contamination will never occur in any of our dairy products and the highest standards will always be maintained.
Promasidor takes great pride in having supplied what is now twenty countries in Africa with quality dairy products for over thirty years. Consumers across the continent recognise our brands, such as Cowbell, Loya and Miksi, for their uncompromising quality, and we look forward to meeting the expectations of our customers in the future.
Africa is fighting back against vitamin and mineral deficiencies
Micronutrient malnutrition is recognised as one of the most serious obstacles to human development and survival. Nowhere is this more evident than in sub-Saharan Africa. The good news, however, is that many countries have made significant progress in ensuring that women and children have access to essential vitamins and minerals to combat this “hidden hunger”.
Malnutrition is still a major underlying cause of child mortality in Africa, where one in five children will never live to see their fifth birthday. Older children’s bodies and minds are weakened by the lack of these vital “essentials”, holding back productivity and development. It is estimated that vitamin and mineral deficiencies are costing sub-Saharan economies more than $2.3 billion in lost productivity annually.
Bearing this in mind and determined to make a difference, Promasidor has made a strategic decision to enrich their dairy formulations with a range of vitamins and minerals. These micronutrients are required in very small amounts to allow normal metabolism, growth and physical well-being. Most are not made in the body so they must be obtained in the diet. Milk, a staple food and excellent source of protein and calcium, serves as an excellent carrier for these essential micronutrients.
On the family brands, Cowbell and Loya, we have added a specially formulated pre-mix of vitamins A, C, D, E and K. In Cowbell Chocolate milk, a similar vitamin pack has been added together with the important energy releasing B vitamins, as well as Magnesium and Iron. This complete cocoa beverage is predominantly consumer by 6-15 year olds. For this reason it has necessitated additional fortification, together with the ‘3 in 1’ cocoa + milk + sugar product delivery. These formulation changes will occur through 2008/2009.
Cowbell Choco goes global
There is no doubt that through the efforts of the sales and marketing team, and the impact of outdoor, point of purchase, TV and radio, Cowbell Chocolate drink has become one of Promasidor Nigeria’s most popular and successful brands. But the challenge was to keep the brand fresh and exciting, with appeal to its core target market - children. To this end, a new campaign was developed based around the world’s most famous landmarks. To add local flavour, two of Nigeria’s most famous landmarks, namely Zuma Rock and the National Theatre, were included in the communication.
The TVC was based around a young boy’s fantasy journey on a BMX bike around the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Great Wall of China, The Sphinx, Zuma Rock and the National Theatre. In the adventure, his guide is our animated Boy Cow Character on a skateboard.
Creating the commercial posed a number of technical challenges. Combining animation and live action seamlessly is a very complicated business. Once a script and storyboard had been agreed upon, a simple animatic was made. An animatic is the pictures in the storyboard set to the voice-over, jingle and SFX. It gives the animators and the production company an idea of how best to create the commercial.
It was decided that the real boy would be shot on a BMX against a green screen. This allows us to composite the boy into the animation. A special rig was commissioned which allowed the bike to move both left and right, up and down, and a full 360°, giving us the flexibility of shooting the boy on his bike from every angle possible. Once the footage had been shot, it was left to the animators to composite it into the animated sequence; it took three animators five weeks to complete the job. Then the sound effects, voice-over and jingle were added to complete the picture, so to speak.
Not only is the commercial an exciting, engaging fantasy, it also entrenches Cowbell Choco’s core messages of energy, strength and vitality, and introduces children to the wonders of the world.
In conjunction with the TV commercial, a 16-page children’s activity book was produced. The book features all the famous landmarks seen on the commercial, along with a little history on each of them.
We have no doubt that the new commercial will take Cowbell Chocolate Drink into a new dimension.
Vitarich rolls out across Africa
In keeping with our philosophy of continually improving our product offering and providing the best possible nutrition for the well-being of our consumers, Promasidor has developed the new Vitarich formulation.
The past few years, in fact, have seen some noticeable nutritional improvements to our Cowbell brand. The product, originally fortified with vitamins A and D, first went through a reformulation with the adding of the 28 most essential vitamins and minerals. We then took the extra step of boosting the key vitamins responsible for health and well-being, namely Vitamins A, C, D, E & K. The result was our new Cowbell Vitarich and Loay Forvita formulations.
In a nutshell, Vitamin A is essential for eyesight development and assists in the body’s immune function; Vitamin C fights infection, assists with wound healing and is necessary for iron absorption; Vitamin D helps the body keep the right amount of calcium and phosphorus in the blood; Vitamin E is an antioxidant that protects body tissue from damage, it is also important in the formation and protection of red blood cells; and Vitamin K plays an important role in the formation of blood clotting agents.
We’re confident that our enriched formulations will give us an edge over our competitors and be a huge hit with consumers, once they realise its superior nutritional properties. In the coming months it will be rolled out across Africa wherever the Cowbell brand is sold and we have no doubt it will prove a great success