Saaremaa moves from plastic bottles to sustainable cartons

Estonian island Saaremaa has experienced some of its toughest times in the last few months. With much of the population infected with COVID-19, Saaremaa became known as ‘The Corona Island.’ But the tough times have not deterred the island’s businesses to stop innovating, including Saaremaa Piimatööstus (Saaremaa Dairy) who has re-launched its organic milk in sustainable cartons, in a move from HDPE plastic bottle packaging.

The Mo Saaremaa brand is famous for its fresh, natural and regional qualities. It means ‘my Saaremaa’ referring to its Baltic island origin, where 130 tons of milk is regionally sourced every day. The re-launch of its Mo Saaremaa’s organic milk in cartons was also part of a larger strategy by the dairy and its CEO Mr Valdis Noppel, to re-position Saaremaa from the traditional cheese maker to a modern and sustainable dairy.

The new carton was selected to enhance these sustainable values with the Mo Saaremaa milk re-launched in March 2020, in carbon neutral 1 liter and 500ml Pure-Pak® Sense cartons, with Natural Brown Board and renewable PE based on tall oil.

The Saaremaa is entirely owned by regional farmers on what is the largest and sunniest island in the Baltic sea. Named the ‘Sun Capital of Estonia’, the long summers, lush vegetation and meadows give its milk natural and pure flavours. The dairy has been producing organic products since 2017 when some of the island’s farmers achieved organic certification, and its first ecological milk from the EKO organic milk brand was launched in May 2018. Today, Saaremaa is the only Estonian dairy producing organic milk at an industrial level and has recently added to its portfolio in April 2020 with the launch of its Pett and Betti buttermilk brands in the new cartons.

The new products include Pett, a traditional fermented buttermilk and a fresh variety, Betti, which is totally unique to Estonia and packed full of nutrients and protein. Saaremaa Dairy is the first and only dairy to produce 100% of the natural buttermilk or buttermilk. “Saaremaa was looking for a new position for its brand, and a more environmental pack supports the natural values of the regional island milk,” explains Olgert Pallo, Elopak Estonia. “The cartons have enabled Saaremaa to meet the increasing demand from households for high quality food, with both nutritious value and local heritage.”

Mr Valdis Noppel, CEO of Saaremaa Piimatööstus concludes; “Mo Saaremaa ÖKO organic whole milk is our product for people who care about both health and the environment. In order to get a perfect fit for these criteria, the right package played an essential role and Elopak’s Natural Brown Board Pure-Pak® Sense carton was the only ideal choice for us.“ Estonian island Saaremaa has experienced some of its toughest times in the last few months. With much of the population infected with COVID-19, Saaremaa became known as ‘The Corona Island.’ “The new carton was selected to enhance these sustainable values with the Mo Saaremaa milk relaunched in March 2020”.