ATM - A2 Milk Corporation Limited

[see weed]

Went to grab a2 milk today, 3 countdown stores but only one stocks the milk. However, only 4 bottles left. My question is why? Is a2 not well known so so they don't stock too much or a2 is experiencing shortage of a2 milk? Any ideas people?

a2 Milk Com. is not worried about a small market like NZ. Most off their money is made overseas. But when Fresha Valley's license runs out they will promote it more in NZ, but by that time it will probably be 90% owned by the Aussi's and could be over $5 per share. 62% has already gone.It's a shame about the big a2 secret in NZ, by the time everyone finds out it will be gone. And they will be thinking how come nobody told us about this wonderful product when it was a NZ company,and we could of bought some for 50c per share just like that strange man in a funny hat told us in Countdown last year. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[blobbles]

Went into Countdown Mt. Wellington on 11/3/16 and they had about 7 bottles on shelf with expire date 17/3/16 ( 6 days to go). Told them this milk is a week old! I want the fresh milk, so they went out the back and got me 3 bottles of fresh milk with the 23/3/16 expire date. I find the a2 starts going off about 2 or 3 days before expire date. Not the first time it's happened. Took the lid off one a couple of weeks back with one day to go and made them smell it. They were very sorry and said they will keep an eye on it....pass me a tuis

I find the opposite, I literally just had a glass of more than 2 days past expiry A2 milk, was fine!

[see weed]

I find the opposite, I literally just had a glass of more than 2 days past expiry A2 milk, was fine!

Fair enough. Maybe because it takes me 6 or 7 days to drink a bottle on my weet bix. And the count down from opening the bottle starts when first opened. And it might only have 6 days life after opening, whether it was opened on 11/3/16 or the 23/3/16, so that would mean if I opened it on the 23/3/16 then it would start to go off on 29/3/16 which would be about 20 days since bottled. Do you know what I mean?

[Golfer01]

I brought a 2 litre bottle yesterday for the family to try. We enjoyed the taste a believe it will be a regular on the shopping list.. What I was disappointed about was the label! It was bland, small, Uninformative and didn't highlight that it was A2 milk... Surely it needs to stand out against the other brands as being different to the "normal" A1 milk products.. From 3 yards away I would have taken it any other run of the mill bottle of milk.. A2/Fresha Valley need to sort it out. Really disappointing.....

[Sideshow Bob]

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/BU160...-suppliers.htm

Sounds like a few of the new suppliers are A2.....

[Gunny]

Agree that A2 is hard to find and not well advertised in store. Have been buying at New World in Thorndon but had to go looking for it and worse the label was partly covered by the fridge front so no chance unless you are hunting for it. Worse still is wasn't there at all this morning and when I asked the attendant he knew nothing of A2 and said they had just "rearranged" the display. Not sure if this means it is gone altogether or not. In any event a very poor display and no marketing when it was there which is really disappointing. Will keep an eye out and may have to go up the line to management.

Interesting article SB. With the farmers up against the wall A2 could be an attractive strategy for those looking at their options. May be a silver for A2 supply by development of more A2 certified herds overtime. Not sure of the actual costs to convert though and it would not be an overnight thing.

Gunny

[Leftfield]

Gunny and Golfer,

Like you I'm miffed that ATM is not better marketed in NZ. However, as I understand it, the Fresha Valley distribution agreement was an early agreement prior to ATM's success in Aus, US and UK. If/when the NZ distribution deal comes to an end or is renegotiated, then we can expect much more in terms of ATM packaging and promotion. (Disc; long term holder. DYOR)

[dobby41]

Have a visiting dairy farmer from old blighty staying with us.
Asked him about A2
He said there was a lot of excitment a while back but now it is pretty much 'meh'

[winner69]

Chinese after our apples through Scales

I reckon A2 next up

[NT001]

Some of these issues have been pretty thoroughly explained on this forum several times in the past. So just briefly:

Yes Fresha Valley got a licence over ten years ago, and it will expire next year. ATM says it won't be renewed. ATM has plans to become active in NZ at that point. But we have no details.

Fresha Valley's licence agreement said nothing about who would do the publicity and advertising, so no one did it. In my view it's largely a2MC's fault that no one in NZ knows where to find A2 milk and public information about A2 milk is non-existent here. a2MC's head office is officially in Auckland, but actually the head office staff are all in Sydney.

Fresha Valley is a major milk supplier to the Countdown chain in the Auckland region and has a very close tie-up with Countdown. Fresha's boss has said he will make sure any Countdown branch that asks for A2 will get it - just tell the local store manager you want it stocked. But if you do that, make sure you buy some.

Re the use-by date: Fresha Valley a2 has quite a long use-by time and personally I usually chuck out any that's left after about a week, as I do with any other milk. But as with ANY milk, if you leave it out on the kitchen bench receiving daylight, it will go off very quickly. We've had no problems if you just keep it in the fridge (to exclude UV light more than for temperature reasons). It lasts well over a week.

New World in Thorndon is one of the few non-Countdown supermarkets that stocks A2 milk, but it's been charging a dollar more than the Countdown price per bottle. I also found A2 stocked in New World in Porirua a year or so ago. All the Countdown stores in the Wellington region are usually well stocked with Fresha's A2. Some, like our closest ones in Crofton Downs and Karori, where customers are probably better informed than in some other suburbs, have up to four rows on the shelves, well displayed since some of us put pressure on the store managers a couple of years ago.

But Fresha ships its A2 milk in sealed lightproof cartons rather than open crates. These are kept out in the coldstore room and are a bit of a hassle for staff to tear open to reload the shelves. Not like other brands which are in spare crates out under the shelves ready to reload the shelves. I heard they might change this system. There's rapid turnover of A2 on the shelves, so occasionally you have to ask the staff to re-load the shelf.

The story about cash-strapped farmers being unable to find buyers for their unwanted cows struck me as pretty interesting too, so I emailed it to the company just to be sure they were aware of it.