Customers have been buying up Kiewa milk and iced coffee in bulk during what could be the last days of the iconic North East brand being available in shops.
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Gables East Take Away owner Danielle Maclean received her full order of Kiewa brand milk on Saturday morning, but will have to wait and see if it was for the last time.
“We’ll keep stocking it as long as our stockers keep giving it to us,” she said.
“They’re saying possibly early next week supplies will probably run out, but we’ll know when they don’t deliver Kiewa anymore and we get Riverina Fresh.”
Where some customers may have only purchased one flavoured milk, they have been grabbing as many as they can carry over the past week.
One man even loaded his iced coffee under his jumper to ensure he could carry the multiple cartons while riding his bike home.
Fridges will soon be stocked with the Wagga-based Riverina Fresh brand as a replacement.
“It’s good that it’s still reasonably local, they haven’t gone for a mass Australia-wide brand,” Ms Maclean said. “They’ve been working on their own formula for the iced coffee as well and apparently tests have been going really well on that so it will be interesting to see how that goes.
“It will interesting to see when the tradies come in and buy the iced coffee and what their feedback is next week when we start getting it.”
Doug Flack is a regular Kiewa iced coffee drinker and said he did not know what he would turn to when it was no longer available, but was more concerned about what the Murray Goulburn factory closure meant for the region.
“I don’t think it was handled all that well really, I think it could have been a bit better done, but it’s really going to affect the Kiewa industry and the people out there,” he said.
“I think any loss of industry in a regional area is a serious business, which makes you really worry bout where the employment’s going to come from around here.”
Kiewa’s Sue Kay was also sad for her friends who lost their jobs, but is one customer willing to give Riverina Fresh a chance. “I’ll buy the brand that’s bought out Kiewa milk, hopefully it’s as good,” she said.