Monopolizing Dairy | 4: New Kids On The Block

As woes kept going on in KCC’s home, the private companies were slowly spreading their wings in the lucrative milk industry. At some point Molo was voted as the most preferred milk in Kenya over the long-term incumbent KCC.

Notable brands like Tuzo, Ilara, Molo, Brookside, Fresha become a familiar look and competing space on the shop shelves. Tuzo went on to even sponsor Gor Mahia, increasing their brand even further.

The many players in the milk industry were a smile ear to ear for the farmers, these companies provided a destination for selling their milk and also increased the buying price of the milk from the farmers. 

A consumer study carried out in December 2012 shows that Molo Milk, manufactured by Buzeki Dairy, commands 18 percent of the processed milk market followed by Brookside Dairy’s Tuzo and Ilara brands with 15 per cent each.

Three Brookside Dairy brands — Tuzo, Ilara and Brookside — enjoy a combined market share of 42 per cent, according to the Consumer Insight survey.

State-owned New KCC are placed at position five with a 10 per cent market share, ahead of Githunguri Dairy’s Fresha brand which controls nine per cent of Kenya’s fresh milk market.

Brookside’s strategy to acquire Spin Knit and its Tuzo brand in 2010 has paid off as it has now become its flagship product alongside Ilara.

The Ruiru-based milk processor – associated with the Kenyatta family – is Kenya’s largest milk processor with a processing capacity of 750,000 litres per day.

Brookside, founded in 1993, has operations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and exports to Comesa countries, southern Africa and the Middle East.