The Norco co-operative expects to increase its volume sales of branded white milk by 23 per cent in 2021 thanks to a deal with Coles supermarkets.
A rollout, which began last month, will see the 125-year-old Norco brand stocked in 390 Coles stores from major metropolitan locations in Queensland and NSW to rural and regional centres.
The expansion is expected to increase white milk demand by about 4.7 million litres for the northern NSW-southern Queensland co-operative - Australia's oldest dairy co-op.
Norco chief executive officer Michael Hampson said the expansion would support key farmer objectives and ensure local dairies were sustained well into the future.
"Increased demand from our loyal consumers and provides our farmers with confidence in the future" Mr Hampson said.
"We can't thank our customers enough for their overwhelming support.
"Their purchasing power has resulted in more product availability which supports farmers and allows more consumers to experience the high-quality farm-fresh difference that has made Norco famous."
Coles dairy general manager Charlotte Rhodes said the supermarket group was excited to bring "great quality Norco branded milk" to more Coles customers while also helping support Norco suppliers in Queensland and northern NSW.
Mr Hampson said as a 100pct Australian farmer-owned dairy co-op the deal would provide local farmers with backing they needed to continue investing in their properties as well as contribute to building the stability of the Norco business.
He said that support flowed on into local communities which had lately seen some of the toughest times in the dairy industry.
Despite a droughty, fiery start to the 2019-20 trading year and the disruption created by the coronavirus pandemic's movement restrictions Norco's milk production hit 214m litres for the financial year, and turnover reached over $680m.
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Andrew Marshall
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
Andrew Marshall is the group agribusiness writer for ACM's state agricultural weeklies and websites. He is a former editor at The Land and has worked in various Rural Press group roles in Canberra, North Richmond (NSW) and Toowoomba (Qld).
