Kotmale -- new flavours, new packaging out soon

Kotmale dairy products which have long been a household name in Sri Lanka is making available a new variety of exciting flavours and brand new packaging aimed at enticing the consumer, the company said

This would thus further strengthening their market share and their position as the company with the largest locally manufactured dairy product portfolio in the country, it said in a press release.

The statement said the Kotmale story began in basic cattle farms in the central highlands and northern dry zone where simple and poor farm folk, tend and care for their cattle. “The cattle in turn provide the villagers with milk, which the farmers extract taking great care to ensure that it is collected with minimum disturbance or discomfort to the animal, as it is the farmer families livelihood,” it said. The collected milk is then transported to the nearest collection centre in hygienic sealed urns and transferred to specialised chilled storage tanks, purpose built for holding milk before processing. From the centre, the milk makes its way to the factories at which they are processed to eliminate and destroy any possible harmful bacteria which may be present to ensure the safety of the final product, which is then ready to become the principal ingredient in many of the most delightful and nutritious food items which have become a part of people’s daily diet, the company said.

“Many Sri Lankans start their day with maybe one or more Kotmale products which constitute their breakfast and starting there, these products cross the paths of the Sri Lankan consumer many times a day without them even realising this fact. The reason being that ‘Kotmale’ has the largest dairy product portfolio, of any dairy product manufacturing company in Sri Lanka. Their product portfolio currently boasts of fresh liquid milk (either pasteurised to eliminate harmful bacteria or Ultra Heat Treated for long life), cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, full cream milk powder, fresh cream and even ghee. Within each of these product categories exists a vivid variety, which caters to the need of every consumer and is capable of capturing the imagination of even the most selective child who considers themselves to be a connoisseur of milk based treats,” the company said.

One particular aspect is the commitment to keep the product pure. “Kotmale uses the least possible additives or preservatives, and that too in only the most essential instances, in the minimum possible quantities, maintaining the highest quality at all times – with techniques and practices which have been refined and fine tuned over many years of experience and foreign technology. It is presented to the customers in the freshest of conditions, at the most affordable prices – achieved through prudent, timely and skilled management at every stage of the process,” CEO Kotmale Holdings, Trevine Gomez was quoted as saying in the statement.

He said Kotmale is the market leader in many of the products they offer. “We are not only the pioneers in the manufacture of cheese locally, we are currently market leaders in locally manufactured ones and also have the largest variety of cheese on offer in Sri Lanka. Everything from Swiss block cheese, ball cheese, processed and spiced processed cheese and even a spread cheese is available to the domestic consumer. Specialised cheese such as Italian Feta cheese, European Cottage cheese and Indian Paneer are available for the hotels and food service sector.

The company said one of its guiding principles is to provide its customers and consumers with high quality products at affordable prices. It also works very closely with the farmers who supply the milk by providing them with much needed support in terms of infrastructure in areas such as veterinary services and technical know how, etc, to improve their yield thereby enhancing their primary (in many instances the only) mode of income. Kotmale staff also help these farmers organise themselves into groups so that they can share experiences and thereby improve the speed and efficiency with which they themselves can solve day to day issues that may arise. “This helps them to unite as a support group for each other and forms a safety net for them in occupational and personal problems, thereby reducing the weight of the burden they carry in a time of crisis,” said Gomez

Gomez said Kotmale works closely with relevant government departments and institutions in a bid to improve the quality of livestock in Sri Lanka by introducing foreign breeds which are known to provide a higher yield than Sri Lankan cattle.

“This would have a long-term ripple effect of many benefits, starting with improved yield to the farmer, increasing their earning capacity and enhancing their quality of life. With time and the spread of these cattle through the farms of our country, this in turn would directly result in the increased output of fresh milk per capita and thus take Sri Lanka on its way to being self sufficient in milk. This would directly result in the saving of billions of rupees in foreign exchange each year, which is now currently spent on the import of powdered milk,” he said.

Kotmale is an industry which began with 10-20 farmers, producing 100 liters of milk a day in 1979 which has now reached an impressive 6,000 or more farmer base which is still growing, feeding 10 milk collection centres with around 25,000 – 30,000 liters of milk a day.