Product of the Year Spotlight on…Onken Kids

Greg Brady, Onken Brand Manager at Emmi UK, on the secrets behind an 80-year-old brand and how a three-ingredient promise became one of Onken’s best ideas.

Tell us about your product/range and why it resonates with consumers.

It really came from listening to parents. We kept hearing the same thing: they wanted simpler ingredients for their kids. So that’s what we built Onken Kids around – three natural ingredients, plus vitamin D to support growing bones, with no added colours or flavourings. It’s a promise that holds up under scrutiny, too. We score well on the health-scanning apps parents increasingly check before they buy, and that’s building real consumer confidence. The feedback’s been great, repeat rate is high, and parents feel confident choosing us. We’re pretty happy with that!

How do you feel about winning a Product of the Year and what impact do you anticipate it will make?

Delighted, proud, excited…! A lot of hard work across multiple teams went into this, so getting that independent consumer validation meant a lot. It’s a great sign to grow the range further. Product of the Year builds trust, and with 81% logo recognition among shoppers, that red badge has become a genuine signal on shelf – it’s increased trial and given consumers more confidence in trying us. We’ve made sure it’s visible everywhere, from packaging and shelf-ready trays to our back-to-school campaigns and out-of-home advertising. Our sales are up 104% versus the previous period over the last six months, which is gratifying to know all that hard work has paid off.

Where did the idea for the product come from, and how does that process work at Emmi?

Onken Kids was a true joint effort between our UK and Switzerland hubs, developed collaboratively with technical and brand teams working across both. We’d spotted a gap in the market: a lot of children’s yoghurts lean heavily on flavourings and additives to compensate for an increasingly processed base. We wanted to simplify our recipe down to three ingredients without compromising on taste – and fortunately, the reviews tell us that consumers are enjoying the range! I should add that it wasn’t a blanket rule across every flavour. Some fruits carry their own taste just fine, while others need a helping hand. Raspberries, for example, need just a touch of sugar to bring the flavour out, and it does double duty for preservative quality too. Simple tweaks for greater gains.

What does ‘disruption’ look like in the dairy category?

For me, the biggest disruption in dairy right now isn’t about novelty, it’s about going back to basics by using simple, recognisable ingredients. I see the same opportunity opening up for our naturals range, which has traditionally lived in the breakfast aisle but is increasingly finding its way into dinner. It adds creaminess, it’s a source of protein, and it’s a lighter, lower-fat alternative to butter or cream. I’d love to see our set yoghurt heroed as a healthier stand-in for cream in curries, dips, marinades and hot dishes. Behind all of this is a broader shift in how people are cooking. There’s a cost-of-living-driven rise in cooking from scratch. People want to know what’s going into their food, getting into home-made cuisine again and there’s a real role for yoghurt to play in that.

Do you have any new products that you can tell us about, or will you be expanding the range further?

I’ll stay a little guarded on the specifics, but the direction is clear: we’re listening to consumers, identifying opportunities, and finding ways to keep adapting our ingredient list. We’ve got a project in development for 2027 involving a format change. In the meantime, Onken Naked offers a glimpse of where convenience is heading. It’s formulated to sit outside the fridge for up to six hours, for people who are permanently on the move. Life outside the fridge is there for people on the go, and we’re looking at how we can build on that.

Have you been impacted by HFSS and how have you adapted?

It hasn’t had a significant impact on us as our natural products are exempt, and our kids’ products score below the HFSS threshold. Our focus, as ever, is on great taste paired with genuine nutritional credentials. Yoghurt is a very healthy, convenient snack, and gut support is very much the direction of travel for consumers across the industry. That said, we’re not resting on our laurels, we’re committed to reducing sugar content. We made a small reduction last year, another this year, and we’ll continue gradually. There’s ongoing regulation and discussion around nutrient profiling, and we’re contributing to the consultation period. It’s important that we’re ready for it.

Describe your winning product in 3 words.

Simple, trusted, delicious.

Source: Product of The Year

  Emmi UK, Greg Brady, Onken, Product Of The Year