China's New Hope Dairy is using Norwegian Red cattle genetics to set apart a premium milk line, in a partnership with the Norwegian breeding company Geno, FoodNavigator reports. Norwegian Red Cow Fresh Milk, produced from Norwegian Red crossbred cows in China, went on sale on 29 April 2025 in selected supermarkets and on major e-commerce platforms, as a chilled milk with a minimum seven-day shelf life.
For New Hope, which already sold Jersey milk, the breed offers another way to stand out in a crowded market dominated by black-and-white Holsteins. Geno says Norwegian Red milk has a relatively high fat content and, in its view, a slightly sweeter taste. "We think that sweetness is attractive to Asian consumers, including those in China," said Ton van de Goor, Geno's vice-president of international sales.
Geno's main argument is about farm economics. Its breeding programme selects for health and fertility as well as milk yield, and the company says the value of genetics should be judged by the cost of producing a litre of milk rather than the price of the semen. Feed makes up roughly 70 per cent of farm costs, van de Goor said, and a lighter cow producing the same milk generally needs less feed to maintain its body weight, savings he said could add up across a herd of 50,000 animals.
"More milk alone is not necessarily better if fat and protein levels are too low; the aim is to balance volume with fat and protein content," he said. Geno works with New Hope's managers on animal management and feeding, including adjusting rations as grass and hay quality changes.
Health is part of the pitch. Els Olsen, Geno's global marketing and communications manager, said Norway has low antibiotic use in animal production and that healthier, more resilient cows can mean fewer treatments and lower veterinary bills. She added that the Chinese government is promoting dairy for older people as well as children.
Whether the premium holds will depend on consumers paying more and on the promised savings showing up on farms, the report notes. Geno names Indonesia and Thailand among possible next markets in Asia, while New Hope is concentrating on milk and yoghurt for its Norwegian Red line.
Photo: Maribjorke / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: FoodNavigator
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