Big M is a brand of
flavoured milk
Flavored milk is a sweetened dairy drink made with milk, sugar, flavorings, and sometimes food colorings. It may be sold as a pasteurized, refrigerated product, or as an ultra-high-temperature (UHT) treated product not requiring refrigeration. ...
that was founded in
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, in 1977. It was launched by the Hawthorn-based and newly formed Victorian Dairy Industry Authority (VDIA), which replaced the more regulatory-oriented Victorian Milk Board. In November 2020, Australian company
Bega Cheese
Bega Cheese is an Australian diversified food and drinks company with manufacturing sites in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Founded as an agricultural cooperative in the town of Bega, New South Wales by their dair ...
purchased
Lion Dairy & Drinks
Bega Dairy & Drinks is a subsidiary of Australian diversified food company Bega Cheese, having been purchased from the Japanese company Kirin (who owns Lion in Australia) in November 2020. While owned by Kirin, it was known as Lion Dairy & D ...
from Japan's
Kirin Holdings, acquiring Big M and other notable brands from the Japanese entity. This acquisition followed an earlier attempt made by
Mengniu Dairy
China Mengniu Dairy Company Limited () is a Chinese manufacturing and distribution company of dairy products and ice cream. The company is headquartered in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia and manufactures dairy products under the ''Mengniu'' brand.
In J ...
to acquire the brand in November 2019, which was rejected by the
Foreign Investment Review Board
The Australian Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB), "examines proposals by foreign persons to invest in Australia and makes recommendations to the Treasurer on those subject to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 and Australia's for ...
.
Victoria's Minister of Agriculture Ian Smith appointed Des Cooper (MD of the Victorian Oat Growers Pool) as chairman, and Brian Purtell as general manager. Purtell appointed agricultural-science graduate Peter Granger as Marketing Manager. Granger conceived the VDIA Marketing Plan to introduce branding and promotion to both flavoured milk (Big M) and reduced-fat milk (Rev), and this was embraced by the board. Until this time there had been dozens of small 'zoned' dairies, some selling generic flavoured milks. With the exception of Ducats dairy in Shepparton, sales were minuscule. Ducats faced genuine competition from Midland Dairies, and this acted as a catalyst for innovation by both dairies.
Zoning had stifled dairy innovation elsewhere. Attempting to overcome this the Victorian Milk Board had introduced a reduced-fat milk in the mid 1970s called 2:1
The product failed due to lack of co-operation by dairy processors, and the inability of the Board to overcome this resistance. It was one of the reasons the Milk Board was subsequently replaced by the VDIA. Similarly, there was resistance to the launch of Big M and Rev, but it was ultimately embraced by the industry following consumer interest and demand the advertising and promotion generated.
Granger was principally the creative input, with Cooper and Purtell administrators who skillfully maneuvered the launch in the face of industry reluctance and scepticism. The advertising agency George Paterson handled the advertising campaign. They conceived the brand name and contracted Paddington Films to produce the highly successful Big M surfing ads. This was a rare occasion where a government department launched a successful and contemporary consumer product.
Big M accounted for sales of 19 million litres per year, and licence fees of $6 – 6.5 million pa prior to the trademarks being sold in 2000 for almost $62 million. Big M flavoured milk is available primarily in
Melbourne (Australia), Melbourne, regional and rural areas of Victoria and the southern and western
Riverina
The Riverina
is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales, Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation ...
regions of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
near the state border of Victoria. In recent years distribution of the Big M brand has expanded further north into the rest of New South Wales and into
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
as well as its state of origin.
The brand gained initial popularity with its advertising association with surf and the beach culture.
[{{cite web , title=Big M Commercial Australia , url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=va99Th__CzI , accessdate=15 November 2018 , date=5 December 2006] There were a number of subsequent ad campaigns in Victoria such as 'Think Big, but not too big'. It is sold in
cartons,
Tetra Brik
Tetra Brik is a brand name for a carton package produced by the Swedish packaging company Tetra Pak. Its shape is cubic or cuboid, and it is available with or without various different caps. The Tetra Brik is the best-known and most sold package ...
s and
plastic bottle
A plastic bottle is a bottle constructed from high-density or low density plastic. Plastic bottles are typically used to store liquids such as water, soft drinks, motor oil, cooking oil, medicine, shampoo, milk, and ink. The size ranges from v ...
s in both fresh and
UHT
Ultra-high temperature processing (UHT), ultra-heat treatment, or ultra-pasteurization is a food processing technology that sterilizes liquid food by heating it above – the temperature required to kill bacterial endospores – for 2 ...
varieties. Big M is also available in a low fat "light" chocolate variety (0.9% fat vs 3.3% for the normal product).
Flavours
Big M is available in 6 flavours:
*Original Chocolate
*Bigger Chocolate
*Strawberry
*Iced Coffee
*Banana
*Choc Berry
*Banana Split
Previous flavours included:
*Double Strength Iced Coffee
*Lime
* Fruity Mix
*Choc Berry
*Choc Orange-Jaffa
* Chocanana
*Vanilla
*Pine Lime-Splice
*Honeycomb
*Choc-Malt
*Blue Heaven - Raspberry Vanilla
*Choc Mint
*Caramel
*Choc Pineapple
*Banana split
*Choc Licorice-Bullet
*Toffee Whip
*Milk
*Apple and Walnut
*Caramel Nougat
*Low-fat Chocolate
*Choc Honeycomb
The flavours in bold were advertised as part of a Big M 'Flavour Flashback' promotion in 2010, with one to be voted back into regular sale. The winner was announced on 5 July 2010 as Big Egg Flip. It was retired in early 2011 and replaced with Honeycomb as another limited edition. Honeycomb was subsequently replaced by a limited edition Choc Berry in mid-2011. Egg Flip has subsequently re-appeared in late 2012.
See also
*
Flavored milk
Flavored milk is a sweetened dairy drink made with milk, sugar, flavorings, and sometimes food colorings. It may be sold as a pasteurized, refrigerated product, or as an ultra-high-temperature (UHT) treated product not requiring refrigeration. ...
*
Chocolate milk
Chocolate milk is a type of flavoured milk made by mixing cocoa solids with milk (either dairy or plant-based). It is a food pairing in which the milk's mouthfeel masks the dietary fibres of the cocoa solids.
Types
The liquid carbohydr ...
*
Coffee milk
Coffee milk is a drink made by mixing coffee syrup or coffee extract and milk together in a manner similar to chocolate milk. It is the official state drink of the US state of Rhode Island.
Coffee syrup
Coffee syrup is a sweetened coffee concent ...
*
Milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
Notes
Australian brands
Brand name dairy products
Dairy products companies of Australia
Flavored milk
Kirin Group
Australian drinks
Products introduced in 1978
Drink companies of Australia