Freedom Foods wins in Beverage category at Asian Export Awards 2020

The company’s MILKLAB plant-based milk is becoming increasingly popular.

Freedom Foods Group Ltd. (FFGL) understands the importance of collaboration in generating innovative products, which is why it has partnered with coffee roasters, Q graders, and baristas to develop the perfect milk to match their coffee.

This collaboration produces an award-winning range of plant-based milk called MILKLAB that serves as a great alternative to conventional dairy milk.

Having been launched in Australia, MILKLAB has a growing following amongst coffee lovers, particularly those who are switching to plant-based products such as coconut and almond milk. MILKLAB’s innovation, which inspires healthy and sustainable lifestyle choices, has won the Asian Export Award 2020 in the Beverage category in the Large Corporate division.

The MILKLAB portfolio consists of almond, soy, coconut, macadamia and oat milk varieties. These lactose-free products are characterised by versatility that enables them to complement the intensity and texture of every type of espresso coffee.

The almond variety is now served in all McCafés in Melbourne and Sydney. Moreover, MILKLAB products are now offered by international coffee chains such as Costa Coffee, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, and Starbucks. FFGL is expanding its footprint globally, including India, Madagascar, South Africa, and several countries across the Middle East.

MILKLAB’s mission is to ensure that only the best ingredients are sourced for its products, which are “made by baristas for baristas”. The 3.5% fat content delivers a premium feeling, and the 40% additional almonds brings a delicious nutty taste. The soy milk has 30% less sugar than its main rival brand. Thus, MILKLAB’s products are ideal for consumers who have allergies and intolerances.

The company’s key achievements are launching the plant-based milk of choice for selected international key account chains, exporting the product to more than 29 countries, and growing its export sales by 162.6% compared with the previous year and contributing 56% of total brand turnover within a short period.

MILKLAB’s inspiration is sustained by the idea that everybody deserves a good coffee experience, which is possible by using a better kind of milk.

According to Ahmad Hidayat, Director of Coffee at Singapore Coffee, plant-based milk can come in “sweetened or unsweetened form. [This] is quite interesting because in terms of foaming, it performs well in complementing the coffee a lot. So, as a barista myself, I recommend almond milk as a part of the menu.”

FFGL has been an Australian pioneer in health foods manufacturing since 1986. In 2000, the company started exporting organic plant-based beverages to Japan and diversified in 2003 by acquiring seafood company Paramount. Thereafter, it built Australia’s first allergen-free facility for cereals and snacks.

As part of its corporate philosophy, FFGL builds strong personal relationships with Australian farmers to ensure the continuous supply of high-quality, home-grown ingredients. Committed to sustainable packaging, the company uses recyclable Tetra Pak materials across its product line.

Watch the interview below to know more about their winning product: