“We have only had it on sale in Finland and travel retail around Finland,” says Lipiäinen. “We didn’t really plan to start exporting the product yet, but the UK and, weirdly enough Taiwan, have been the most keen to get their hands on it already. Finland has a fairly large amount of lactose intolerance in the population and when we eventually start expanding in Asia that’s a very relevant factor.”
Kyrö’s Dairy Cream sits at around the £20 price point, which appears to be the threshold which brands are surpassing in order to establish themselves as premium in the cream liqueurs sector. Another example at this price is Dirty Cow – a plant-based cream liqueur which comes in a variety of flavours – while Arctic Blue sits at around £25 and is an oat cream liqueur.
Innovation has clearly begun. Cream liqueurs as a category had been fairly stagnant for a while, but with a more premium offering and a focus on dairy alternatives, the sector could tap into the growing number of health-conscious consumers.
It’s also an opportunity to offer Asia, a continent where dairy products aren’t well received, a way into the cream liqueurs category and this is something likely to pique the interest of Baileys. Of course its Almande expression is a good start, but the next logical step will be to launch a lactose-free or vegan-friendly version of its Baileys Original.
