ProU Yogurt, an Irish fortified yogurt launched by former Bord Bia executive Michael Murphy, is now available at SuperValu stores in an expanded retail listing worth €200,000. Produced at Killowen Farm in Co. Wexford using locally-sourced ingredients, ProU is the first yogurt on the Irish and UK market fortified with protein, calcium and vitamin D to help maintain bone and muscle health from mid-life onwards. The deal with SuperValu will enable ProU to strengthen its foothold in the Irish yogurt market, a sector estimated to be worth €260 million.
Launched at last year’s Bloom festival, ProU is the first product from Michael Murphy’s Irish startup M&J Nutrition. Having secured regional listings with SuperValu and other retailers since launch, the expanded listing with the Musgrave chain reflects a growing consumer trend toward health and wellness products offering enhanced nutritional benefits. ProU is also stocked in some hospital canteens and workplace restaurants nationwide.
Michael Murphy, M&J Nutrition, said they had supplied SuperValu stores in Dublin and Wexford since ProU’s launch last year. The decision by Musgrave to stock the yogurt in over 70 SuperValu stores nationwide marks a milestone for the business, deepening its footprint across Ireland and enabling the company meet increased consumer demand. Murphy expects the deal will add at least €200,000 to annual turnover within a short space of time.
Ireland has an ageing population with 650,000 people aged 65 and over, which is 12 per cent of the population. This figure is set to rise to 1.4 million, or 22 per cent of the total population, in the next 25 years. As bone and muscle strength can begin to decline from as early as the age of 30, fortified foods like ProU enable consumers to take a proactive role in mitigating bone and muscle deterioration through a combination of diet and exercise.
The Irish Osteoporosis Society claims one-in-two women and one-in-four men over 50 years are prone to osteoporosis, or brittle bones. Exercise and calcium intake help mitigate the impact of osteoporosis. Currently over 60 of yogurts sold in Ireland are imported. ProU Yogurt was developed with R&D support from Teagasc Moorpark, Bord Bia and Enterprise Ireland. It comes in four flavours – natural, raspberry, strawberry and mango and passionfruit.
