Award-winning branding and design agency Hulsbosch has completed a repositioning and brand design of the Coles Own Brand fresh milk portfolio. The new visual masterbrand for Coles’ milk is in-store and online, and across all customer touch points and communication channels.

The rebrand represents a new era for Australian supermarket chain Coles, which launched its direct sourcing model in Victoria and Southern and Central New South Wales in 2019, contracting directly with local farmers to supply milk for Coles Brand fresh white milk in those markets.

Coles has since expanded the direct milk sourcing model to most Australian states, offering a farmgate price directly to more than 100 Australian dairy farmers and paying dairy processors to process and bottle the milk under a toll processing agreement.
Lisa Ronson, Chief Marketing Officer at Coles Group said, “Coles has changed the way we source milk to work more directly with Aussie farmers, including through our Coles Sustainable Dairy Development Group which supports on-farm sustainability initiatives.
“Relaunching the range designs for our Own Brand milk packaging is one way that we recognise this new closer relationship and the long-term agreements we’ve made with Aussie dairy farmers to help them plan for their future.”

Hulsbosch and the Coles marketing team undertook an extensive research project to understand and gain the latest insights on the perceptions, attitudes and usage of current customers as well as looking at the last decade of the national fresh milk shopping marketplace. The repositioning critically informed the creative strategy outcomes which revealed a different approach to the portfolio was needed to reinvigorate market growth, secure higher awareness levels for ethically conscious consumers and overcoming historical milk market issues.

Jaid Hulsbosch, Director at Hulsbosch said, “The rebrand is reflective of a time of transformation for Coles Own Brand milk. The new tagline ‘Together with Australian farmers, helping Australian families’ responds to a new chapter in the business of milk to support farmers grow their businesses. Part of the sourcing story is distinctive, as each state’s range design changes for each specific state source across the country. The statement of where the milk is from celebrates its ‘farmer direct brand’ status and is a confident affirmation of Coles strategy to bring the consumer closer to the farmgate. Primary brand executions by Hulsbosch are applied to three product types for Coles Own Milk Brands which are Full Cream, Lite and Skim Milk with associated product colour markers for a total of twelve packaging formats.