The latest BMi research report on buttermilk and maas indicates that volumes increased in 2015, and it is believed that the limited price increase bolstered the value-for-money perception during this period. Although the category has enjoyed a particularly good performance, it is doubtful that this will be repeated in the short term as it is assumed that the market has reached saturation levels for the time being.
With South African consumers having to face the pressure of tight budgets during 2015 - drought, rising fuel price and the effect of the falling Rand value - it is hypothesised that the more expensive proteins were replaced with more affordable sources, such as maas, in shopping baskets. This, together with the lower than inflation price increase of 1.5%, boosted category sales during the base year and interestingly a similar dynamic was seen during the 2010/2011 recession.
The buttermilk/maas category maintains a retail focus overall, with top end retail and forecourts collectively achieving the majority share for 2015. All sectors of the market saw growth during the base year with the only exception being on-consumption. It is believed that on-consumption is not a priority for most producers, given the limited volumes channelled into this sector and that precedence was given to channels where demand is more pronounced.
Rigid plastic and the 2-litre pack showed growth and this skew is expected to extend into the medium term, with carton and sachets taking only a limited share of volumes.
Consumption growth of buttermilk/maas was seen throughout all South African regions during 2015 but KwaZulu-Natal was the single largest consumer and the Eastern Cape, the largest non-metro province.
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