Visit https://ndc.ie/yogurt-its-great-inside/ for more information.

The National Dairy Council is delighted to announce the launch of a new EU-funded campaign to promote yogurt. The three-year campaign will be run across four markets – Belgium, Ireland, Germany, and Denmark, and will promote the health and versatility of yogurt as a delicious everyday food.

The ‘Yogurt, Its Great Inside’ campaign will feature an extensive marketing campaign featuring two Dublin cafes and two yogurt companies, who serve and produce yogurt every day. The two-week campaign which goes live today will feature 120 OOH billboards and posters in Dublin and key cities nationwide, as well as 200 bus supersides. This is also supported by print advertising and native articles in national media and an influencer-led social media campaign.

The two cafes included are Póg cafes in Dublin, featuring owner Rachel Keane in the adverts with locations in Clontarf, Malahide, Howth, Tara Street and Bachelors Walk. The other café featured is Brother Hubbard, owned by Garrett Fitzgerald and James Boland, and with locations in Capel Street, Harrington Street, Arnotts and Ranelagh. The adverts will feature staff member Lorna Foley outside the Ranelagh premises. Both cafes love to use yogurt in sweet and savoury dishes and love its versatility and properties in making dishes taste great. At Póg, the ads feature their famous protein pancakes with layered with thick yogurt and fruit. Whilst a savoury dish with yogurt is featured at Brother Hubbard with their famous Eggs Menemen topped with yogurt.

Two of Ireland’s well know yogurt companies also feature in the campaign, Valerie and Alan Kingston, who make Glenilen yogurt at their farm in Drimoleague, Co Cork. They both grew up on dairy farms and started making yogurt commercially in 2002. The range of products also includes Kefir product, cheesecakes and clotted cream, and adorns the shelves of most supermarkets in Ireland.

Another well known brand, Killowen Farm in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford has been in the Dunne family for 200 years across nine generations. They make a range of delicious single origin dairy yogurts with delicious fruit flavours and have also introduced cream cheeses to the range.

Cathy Curran, Head of Communications with the National Dairy Council, said

“We are delighted to be launching this new EU campaign and to celebrate the delicious versatility of natural yogurt. Yogurt is a popular fermented milk product and a source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, vitamins B2 and B12. An incredibly versatile product in the kitchen for cooking or just to have as a healthy snack. The campaign strapline deliberately focuses on the added benefits of yogurt from the inside out so you can treat your gut to a delicious yogurt.”

As part of the campaign, NDC is working with Daniel Davey, Performance Nutritionist and Erica Drum who is a TV Chef, cookery tutor and food stylist. Erica interviewed the owners of the cafes and yogurt companies, and these videos will be appearing on social media and YouTube to coincide with the campaign.

Erica said,

“I am delighted to be involved with this campaign, a big fan of Irish dairy and love to cook with it in all my recipes on TV and social media. I also love that yogurt offers a healthier alternative to cream when you want something rich and satisfying! I often give it to my young daughter as a healthy snack or for breakfast with fruit and granola”

Recent research [1] carried out by Potloc market research spoked to 1000 consumers in each of the campaign countries, Irish consumers exhibit a distinct pattern in their yoghurt preferences, with high-protein, flavoured, and low-fat yoghurts being the most popular choices. These preferences highlight the importance of nutritional value and taste, among the main reasons for yogurt consumption.

For a substantial share of Irish consumers, dairy consumption is deeply rooted in habit, taste, and the nutritional benefits it provides. Convenience, affordability, and local production also play significant roles in influencing their choices. While environmental impacts are recognized, they exert less influence on overall dairy consumption. 71% of Irish consumers believe gut health and digestion to be the most beneficial health benefit of plain yogurt.

For further information on the campaign, please contact Cathy Curran at NDC pr@ndc.ie or 086 8777 664.

Editors Notes

Yogurt is a popular fermented milk product and a source of protein, calcium, phosphorus, iodine, vitamins B2 and B12. Yoghurt contains 10 essential nutrients including calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and riboflavin. Yogurt is included in the Department of Health’s food pyramid, which provides general healthy eating guidance for adults and children over the age of five years. 125g pot of yogurt is one serving of dairy. 3 servings of dairy a day are recommended for 5-8 years, and 5 daily for those aged 9-18 years. Yogurt is a high source of protein which contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and muscles and needed for normal growth and development of bone in children.

[1] Research carried out by Potloc –  1000 respondents in each market Germany, Denmark, Ireland Belgium, June 2024. 18-45 y.o. Living in one of the eligible countries. Quotas on global sample and per country: gender, age, parenthood, gender of parents, age of parents, age of children.