HUMANSDORP-based Woodlands Dairy and its flagship brand, First Choice, achieved outstanding success at the 192nd South African Dairy Championships, securing four prestigious Qualité Awards – South Africa’s highest accolade for dairy excellence – alongside multiple other category honours. The Qualité mark, established in 2001 by Agri-Expo, is awarded exclusively to products of exceptional quality that meet stringent international standards, distinguishing them within the industry.
This year’s championships, held from 19 to 21 February 2025 at Eensgezind outside Durbanville, marked a record-breaking event with 1,110 entries from 77 manufacturers, evaluated by 103 expert judges. The competition featured over 150 classes across ten categories, including cheese, yoghurt, milk, cream, ice cream, butter, and other dairy products. Each class winner received the title of SA Champion, while the product with the highest overall score was crowned SA Dairy Product of the Year.
First Choice earned Qualité Awards for its Low Fat Peach & Apricot Flavoured Dairy Snack and Milki Low Fat Strawberry Flavoured Milk. Additionally, products developed for retail partners received top honours: Spar’s Double Cream Plain Yoghurt and Woolworths’ Organic Fat Free Chunky Plain Cottage Cheese were both awarded the esteemed Qualité mark.
First Choice also secured first-place awards for its Power Cup Granadilla Flavoured Dairy Snack and Low Fat Granadilla Flavoured Drinking Snack. The Softy Butter Spread and Whipping Cream earned second-place accolades, while the Low Fat UHT Milk and Medium Fat Amasi were awarded third place.
Woodlands Dairy’s retail partners, Spar and Woolworths, achieved significant recognition for their high-quality dairy products.
Spar received first-place awards for its Fat Free Smooth Plain Cottage Cheese, Low Fat Smooth Plain Cottage Cheese, and Fat Free Plain Yoghurt. In addition, the retailer garnered numerous second and third-place recognitions for a range of products.
Similarly, Woolworths also secured multiple top awards, including first-place honours for its Organic Low Fat Chunky Plain Cottage Cheese, Ayrshire Low Fat Milk, and Full Cream Plain Yeast-Free Kefir. The retailer also earned several second and third-place accolades across various categories.
Marisa Maccaferri, marketing executive for Woodlands Dairy and First Choice, expresses pride in these achievements, saying: “Naturally we’re over the moon with these achievements, which underscore Woodlands Dairy’s commitment to quality and innovation in the South African dairy industry. It highlights our unwavering commitment to crafting exceptional dairy products for consumers across South Africa and stands as a testament to the dedication and expertise of our teams who bring these products to life each day.
“We received awards across a broad range of products, which shows the depth we have in the business from a development process and production perspective. It’s a job well done, and we’re immensely proud of each award.
“Excellent quality encourages and places emphasis on our vision to be the most admired dairy company in Africa, which ultimately ensures long-term growth and creates job opportunities,” she concludes.
