Dairy Industry

South African Dairy Championships

The Championships is now well entrenched as a benchmark for South African dairy products with 75% participation from the dairy industry. The main objective of the competition is to improve the quality of dairy products. The results are used by manufacturers to compare their products against the winning products and to make manufacturing changes if necessary - both with the view to improve the quality.

Close to 800 products were entered and judged by 43 dairy experts under the most ideal conditions for the sensory evaluation of dairy products. Agri-Expo has improved the judging conditions to such a degree that it now compares excellently with the major dairy product competitions in the world. However, it remains a challenge to improve it even further by breaking new ground in the training of dairy judges in order to make the results even more credible and helpful to the manufacturers.

The major supermarkets use the results extensively to promote the winning products and in the process are also marketing the Qualité Awards and SA Dairy Champion prizes. The results are published in a variety of consumer and industry publications and it remains a priority to inform the public of the winning products on a wider scale.

Danisco Qualité Dinner

The value of this event is reflected in the willingness of the sponsor, Danisco to contribute marketing funds in the present financially difficult times. It remains the most important annual dairy event, aside from the SA Cheese Festival, and is attended by a broad spectrum of industry players. After being held for many years in the Stellenbosch Town Hall it was moved to the Bloemhof Centre due to it happening on the national Election Day.

However, the attendance figure of 430 is a sign of its importance. Danisco expressed its satisfaction with the value which the event holds for them as a supplier to the industry and it is hoped that this partnership will be continued.

An Extra Matured Cheddar from Parmalat SA walked away with the honour of being the Dairy Product of the Year while the first African exhibitor, Browns Cheese from Kenya, won two Championship titles.

Africa projects

Agri-Expo has become more involved in consultancy and technology transfer projects in Africa during the year. A strategic document prepared for the Mozambique dairy industry has been accepted by its authorities and the proposals are now being implemented. Extensive training has been carried out in Tanzania and Zanzibar where three workshops were held to increase the consumption and use of cheese in the retail and the hospitality sectors. Consultancy visits took place to Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda where requests for further interventions have been received. Three young cheese makers from Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda were selected to study in France on a scholarship of which Agri-Expo is the project manager.

International cheese competitions

The World Cheese Awards took place in Dublin and as Southern Africa consolidator for the competition, Agri-Expo co-ordinated 37 cheese entries for the competition. A number of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were won by the bigger cheeseries but an encouraging outcome was the number of medals won by smaller artisan cheese makers - a definite sign of improved cheese quality. Agri-Expo's manager: Dairy acted as one of the international judges and also did duty on the supreme jury which selected the World Champion Cheese, live on Irish television.

Retail training

Agri-Expo was contracted to train retail workers in the handling, merchandising and marketing of cheese by the biggest retail organisation in Africa. This training has as its objective to increase the sales of cheese through the proper handling at retail level while informing customers about the uses of cheese in the daily diet. A number of training sessions were held and bigger participation in the retailer's future training programmes is anticipated.

Slow Food Organisation

Agri-Expo's manager: Dairy was invited as a delegate to the third Terra Madre Conference in Turin, Italy to represent the small artisan cheese makers of South Africa. This conference was attended by 7 200 representatives from 137 countries and apart from the many stalls exhibiting agricultural products, also staged numerous breakaway discussion groups on all aspects of sustainable farming.

Advisory and consultancy services

This service continues to increase in importance as no organisation exists to assist smaller cheeseries with problems around quality, supply chain management and range extensions. The Goat's milk Processors Organisation which was formed with the help of Agri-Expo is progressing well and has already tackled projects to improve this dairy sector. Various quality projects were carried out for which Agri-Expo was reimbursed on a professional basis.

Western Cape/Burgundy Cheese making fellowship

Twenty Western Cape cheese makers have now been trained through this programme, which was initiated by Agri-Expo in 2004 and since sponsored by the Department of Agriculture: Western Cape. The success of this programme is visible in the number of new cheeses developed but also through the improved cheese quality that is now available in the market. The role that the Department of Agriculture: Western Cape and its senior management play in supporting and funding this program is what makes it possible. Their vision to support cheese making in the province has strategic value, as more than 50% of all South African cheese is now manufactured in the Western Cape. Agri-Expo has been instrumental in the decision to develop an advanced course, which will in future, be presented during alternative years.

SA Cheese Festival

The 2009 SA Cheese Festival, held during the weekend of 24 - 27 April, once again proved to be one of the country's most prestigious events and is highly respected for its superior culinary presentation and friendly atmosphere. The extraordinary quality of South African cheeses as well as the variety of related products ensures that this festival remains a highlight on all food lovers' calendars.

Market research that was carried out among visitors and exhibitors this year indicates that the Cheese Festival continually succeeds to encourage increased cheese consumption in South Africa.

In an effort to address the traffic problems encountered in the past, Agri-Expo decided to sell all the tickets in advance through Computicket. Because of worldwide economic pressure, it was a challenging step to take.

However, loyal supporters of the festival were not influenced by the price increase, or the restriction on ticket sales. Three days were sold out, and the Friday attracted the most visitors ever on a working day. The numbers were limited to 8 000 per day, and 28 905 visitors attended the four-day festival.

The economy also had a negative impact on getting sponsorships. Three big sponsors withdrew, which necessitated Agri-Expo to impose efficient management of expenses and negotiations with service providers in order to balance the books. Agri-Expo wishes to thank all sponsors and service providers for the way in which they co-operated to ensure the success of the 2009 SA Cheese Festival.

Judges of EXSA (Exhibition and Event Association of Southern Africa) judged the stands on the Friday. The following winners were announced during an exhibitors breakfast on the Saturday:

» Portobello - best boutique cheese
» Checkers - best national cheese
» Mannamakers - best related product
» Marc's Mediterranean Cuisine - best in Gourmet Lane
» Boschendal - best wine stand
» Fleckvieh - best in Milk factory

This year, the University of Stellenbosch carried out a market research among visitors and exhibitors. It was delightful to find that 59% of visitors attend the festival regularly, while 88.2% indicated that they plan to attend the festival in 2010. Most of the respondents indicated that they tasted new cheeses, discovered new cheese makers, and gathered information to ensure that they will, in future, purchase a wider variety of cheese.