Collaboration between teams and good partners led to an idea that brings a new channel to Canius product sourcing: the pet supply store's freezer.
The popular Canius product family has a new member: Canius Frozen. The idea behind the product came from the desire to offer our customers even an easier way to buy Canius products directly from pet shops.
The Canius family includes three probiotic strains and is designed to be as high quality and effective as possible.
"The versatile formula requires proper storage at refrigerator temperature. Therefore, the most common place to purchase Canius is the pharmacy or veterinary clinic," says our Product Manager Sari Kokko.
We set out to see how we could offer customers the additional path to purchase the product they wanted. The Research and Development team realised that pet food stores often have freezers for storing raw food, for example, and realised that this same logistical route could be used for Canius. At the same time, data and research had already been gathered on the product's resistance to freezing. We knew that Canius' probiotics have an excellent freezing shelf life. So the basis for a frozen product was there.
In the initial phase of the project, the contract manufacturer's freezing capacity and the functionality of the freezing logistics up to the stores were assessed. Both were solved through good cooperation.
In terms of sales and marketing, the frozen product required a new type of packaging, as frost logistics require a slightly different packaging size. In addition, a lift-up display flap was designed for the little bulk package to make it easier for the customer to find the product in the freezer.
Storage instructions were also added to the packaging. The product can be stored at room temperature for a short time, but re-freezing should be avoided. It is therefore advised to store the product in the refrigerator after purchase and to serve it from there.
The pet shop chain Musti and Mirri was selected for the pilot. The new distribution method requires additional visibility in the store, so this was taken into account when planning the marketing. After all, customers need to be told that a familiar product can now be found in a new place.
"The development project has required a lot of consultation and coordination between the different parties involved. However, in less than a year we've got a new product on the market - an excellent achievement," says Tuuli Kousa, Marketing Director, who has been involved in the project from the start.
Canius Frozen also has great potential in export markets, once the distribution chain is in place. It is also important to identify the specificities of the target market in terms of product sourcing and content. There are differences between countries in terms of where people want to buy the products and what the desired composition is. For example, in addition to the finished product, only lactic acid bacteria strains of Canius have been supplied, from which a local partner has built a product suitable for the market.
"We are actively looking for partners who know their market and are interested in working with us. There are several possibilities: exporting the finished product, a private label solution or just buying probiotic strains to make a customized product," summarizes Export Director Sanna Jakonen.
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