Looney Tunes flavored milk stretches across six states

China Premium Food Corp.'s stateside subsidiary has introduced its Looney Tunes brand flavored milks in a six-state region, following up the product line's recent Chinese debut.

Bravo! Foods Inc. said major retail outlets in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri and Kentucky are carrying the milks via agreements with Naperville, IL-based Quality Chekd Dairies Inc. and one of its members, Fulton, KY-based Turner Dairy.

The brand is expected to be available nationally by the end of next year, China Premium leaders said.

"The irreverent antics of the Looney Tunes characters have made them timeless favorites for kids of all ages," said Rob Gruen, executive VP, Worldwide Marketing and Retail Business Development, Warner Bros. Consumer Products. "We are pleased to be working with Quality Chekd Dairies and Bravo! Foods on these unique products which we believe will be well-received by consumers throughout the country."

The product line is being carried by such outlets as Wal-Mart, Albertson's, Kroger, Piggly Wiggly, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Amoco/BP stations, Exxon stations, Texaco/Flash markets and Express Lanes.

Looney Tunes 2% milk is made by Turner Dairy in 14-oz and 1-quart sizes and comes in chocolate, strawberry, banana, orange cream and vanilla shake flavors. Featured cartoon characters on the labels include Bugs Bunny, Tweety, Sylvester and the Tasmanian Devil.

"Through our market research, and initial sales results, we see firsthand the market appeal that a Looney Tunes milk brand has with consumers," Bravo! Foods CEO Tony Guiliano said. "Partnering with Quality Chekd, we are able to penetrate the U.S. market effectively."

Turner Dairy President Steve Turner said the line is aimed at children and adults and that the milks contain the same level of nutrition as white milk.

"If adding flavor to the inside of the package, and featuring widely recognized Looney Tunes characters on the outside gets more people to drink the milk they need, then we've done a good thing with this partnership," Turner said.

New York-based China Premium Food Corp. earlier this month inked an exclusive agreement with China's biggest food distributor to distribute the Looney Tunes line. (See related article). It recently formed North Palm Beach, FL-based Bravo! Foods.

Edited by Gerry Clark