White Wave Assumes Management Responsibilities for Dean's Sun Soy Divison

Boulder, Colo.-based White Wave is now managing the Sun Soy brand as a result of reorganization within White Wave and Sun Soy's parent company Dean Foods Co. (NYSE: DF). After DF purchased White Wave in May 2002 for $189 million, the company assigned White Wave the task of increasing market share for Dean's Sun Soy soymilk brand. White Wave say it plans to position Sun Soy as a "value alternative," according to a Dec. 2 announcement.

White Wave's soymilk product Silk holds more than 75 percent of the refrigerated soymilk market.

“We have already experienced the excitement of launching a product and establishing dominance in a new category. Now we can take on the challenge of category management, offering the retailer a full line of soymilk products across a variety of price points,” states Steve Demos, White Wave president and founder, in a Dec. 2 company announcement. (See The Deal with Dean from the Fall 2002 LOHAS Journal for complete profile of Demos and White Wave.) White Wave intends to position Sun Soy as the option for price-conscious consumers that want a genetically-modified-organism-free, natural product, says Demos. Sun Soy will be priced at approximately $2.70 for a half gallon, which is 15-percent less than leading soymilk brands.