Launch of major 'Legendary' brand for Wales

Andrew Davies, Welsh Assembly Minister for Economic Development and Transport, yesterday unveiled a major new Welsh dairy brand. The new brand 'Cadog', based on the legendary 6th century Saint Cadog, will be Wales' first fully bilingual dairy brand and was launched at the site of St Cadog's important monastery in Llancarfan, South Wales.

The national launch of Wales' newest dairy brand 'Cadog' is the latest development by ACC Milk, a leading UK dairy operator and the largest milk processor in Wales. The move forms part of ACC Milk's strengthening position within Wales and its expansion of the organisation's well-established creameries at Cardiff, Llangadog and Llandyrnog.

At the forefront of brand and product innovation, ACC Milk produces quality Welsh dairy products at three creameries in Wales - luxury canned products and butter at Llangadog, South Wales, a full range of Cheddar cheeses at Llandyrnog, North Wales and fresh milk at Cardiff. A winner of prestigious awards and proud of its link with Welsh farmers, ACC Milk is the largest producing dairy operator in Wales processing over 600 million litres of fresh milk per annum.

Development of the new Welsh brand follows increasing awareness of the value of regional branding and will initially include fresh milk, award-winning butter, butter portions, canned products creamy custard, luxury rice and evaporated milk, as well as medium, mature and vintage cheese.

The new brand name 'Cadog' stems from the location of the organisation's Llangadog factory in South Wales. Llangadog means Church of Cadog, named in honour of Cadog, one of the greatest 6th Century Welsh saints, who established the church there. Being an avid traveller however, he also established churches in places as far afield as Brittany, Scotland and Cornwall. The name Cadog is designed to retain a strong element of the former Llangadog brand, which has enjoyed immense customer loyalty, whilst at the same time being a brand name which has national and international appeal.

The new packaging is stylish and distinctive with a Celtic touch. Fully bilingual, it meets the needs of Welsh consumers as trials have shown that featuring the language on packaging is not only appreciated but is also highly desirable - even among non-Welsh speakers.

Alan Hinton, general manager of ACC Milk, said: "We are delighted to be part of exciting new developments within the Welsh food industry. Wales needs distinctive brands such as Cadog, and ACC's long-established experience of producing quality dairy foods in North and South Wales should ensure its success."

ACC Milk is a UK dairy operation with presence in all sectors of the dairy market, serving major retailers, food service outlets, food manufacturers and the catering trade. Since its creation in 1972, ACC Milk has enjoyed considerable growth and boasts a total of eight creameries and over 60 distribution centres situated strategically throughout the UK. ACC Milk procures, processes and packages almost 1 billion litres of milk per annum across the whole range of dairy products, making it one of the most versatile dairy operations within the UK.

A packed church in Llancarfan saw the children of the local primary school pay tribute in song to St Cadog, with words especially written for the occasion in both Welsh and English. Guests were also able to view a huge cheese carving of the new Cadog logo while ACC Milk cheese graders explained the traditional grading methods still used by ACC MIlk today.