Dairy products and alternatives in 2025: The big picture
The dairy products and alternatives market in Ecuador is expected to show signs of stabilisation in both volume and current value terms in 2025, following the significant disruptions experienced in the previous year. One of the most notable challenges came in the form of widespread power outages that severely interrupted the cold chain - a critical component of the dairy supply system. As a result, producers faced significant operational bottlenecks and product losses. This prevented smaller retailers from maintaining adequate stock and led to widespread supply chain inconsistencies across both urban and rural markets.
Key trends in 2025
Private label is rapidly gaining ground in Ecuador’s dairy products and alternatives market, emerging as one of the most dynamic growth drivers in 2025. While traditionally associated with basic offerings, private labels are increasingly present across a wider range of dairy categories, including yoghurt, cheese, and flavoured milk, with improved packaging, nutritional content, and taste quality.
Competitive landscape
Industrias Lácteas Toni S.A. continues to lead Ecuador’s dairy and dairy alternatives market, thanks to its strong brand recognition, ongoing product innovation, and extensive distribution network - a key advantage in a country with diverse geography and infrastructure challenges. The company offers a broad portfolio that includes milk, flavoured milk drinks, cheese yoghurt, and plant-based options. Notably, Industrias Lácteas Toni holds a relatively small share of milk, largely because it offers only UHT milk in Tetra Pak packaging - a segment where low-cost pouch formats dominate. Instead, the company has strategically focused on value-added dairy offerings that command higher margins and foster stronger consumer loyalty.
Channel developments
Supermarkets remains the leading distribution channel for dairy products and alternatives in Ecuador, supported their broad product ranges and robust cold-chain infrastructure. Corporación Favorita (which operates Supermaxi and Akí) and Corporación El Rosado (owner of Mi Comisariato) are two of the largest and most influential retail groups in the country, making them key players in driving overall market growth. Their shelves offer everything from affordable UHT milk and drinkable yoghurts to premium offerings such as lactose-free lines, Greek-style yoghurts, plant-based alternatives, and functional dairy beverages – catering to a broad consumer base.
What next for dairy products and alternatives?
The market for dairy products and alternatives in Ecuador is expected to register only modest growth in both volume and value terms (at constant 2025 prices) over the forecast period, in the face of several ongoing structural challenges. One of the key limiting factors is the strong presence of the informal market, which continues to account for a significant portion of sales, especially in categories like milk and cheese. This not only impacts sales of regulated brands but also exerts downward pressure on prices. At the same time, manufacturers face rising production costs, yet have limited room to raise retail prices due to consumer price sensitivity and persistent inflationary pressures.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Dairy Products and Alternatives industry in Ecuador with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to a comprehensive range of core packaged food categories.
If you're in the Dairy Products and Alternatives industry in Ecuador, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Dairy Products and Alternatives in Ecuador report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Dairy Products and Alternatives in Ecuador?
- Which are the leading brands in Dairy Products and Alternatives in Ecuador?
- How are products distributed in Dairy Products and Alternatives in Ecuador?
- How is the rise of e-commerce and/or the expansion of modern grocery retail impacting traditional retail?
- What are the key health and wellness concerns driving, or challenging, sales in Dairy Products and Alternatives?
- How significant are vegan and vegetarian dietary requirements in determining sales growth in Ecuador?
- How has COVID-19 impacted consumer demand? To what extent have lockdown, home seclusion and stockpiling boosted sales? Will the longer term economic repercussions of the pandemic stimulate or suppress future growth?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
- How significant will values-based claims, such as sustainability and ethical labelling, be in supporting future growth and brand equity?
Dairy Products and Alternatives in Ecuador
Dairy products and alternatives in 2025: The big picture
Key trends in 2025
Competitive landscape
Channel developments
What next for dairy products and alternatives?
DISCLAIMER
Baby Food in Ecuador
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Economic pressures and public health initiatives impact baby food sales
Danone gains traction with affordable Bebelac range
Supermarkets lead sales, while discounters expand their offerings to include prepared baby food
Challenging outlook for baby food
Growing preference natural and organic prepared baby food offerings
Affordability will remain key consideration as players seek to extend reach into rural and semi-urban areas
Butter and Spreads in Ecuador
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Margarine leads sales, while butter retains strong presence in informal market
Flora Food Group seeks to consolidate leadership through promotional strategies
Supermarkets and small local grocers dominate butter and spreads, but discounters lead growth
Discounters could drive broader reach amid overall flat outlook
Conflicting trends shape outlook for margarine
Value-added innovation to drive growth in butter
Cheese in Ecuador
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Ecuador’s cheese market faces stagnation, althouugh hard cheese expands through discounters
Alpina maintains leadership, although private label gains ground
Discounters help to expand packaged cheese to a broader audience
Packaged hard cheese to drive future growth
Health and wellness trends will boost demand for low-fat and lactose-free options
Rising appetite for international cheese varieties
Drinking Milk Products in Ecuador
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Flavoured milk drinks recover after disruptions of 2024
Vita Alimentos leads sales while discounter Tiendas Tuti Ttde SA gains substantial ground
Supermarkets and small local grocers dominate sales
Modest growth amid ongoing challenges
Increasing polarisation in consumption habits
Policy reforms and innovation have potential to reshape Ecuador’s milk production industry
Yoghurt and Sour Milk Products in Ecuador
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Yoghurt sees signs of recovery in 2025, following challenges of previous year
Industrias Lácteas Toni leads sales while private label gains share
Discounters rapidly expand market penetration
Outlook for yoghurt appears promising, compared to broader dairy industry
Health and wellness to shape the future of yoghurt in Ecuador
Blurring of lines between food and functional health supplements will drive yoghurt Innovation
Other Dairy in Ecuador
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Constrained consumer budgets constraints drive stagnation
Nestlé Ecuador SA remains clear leader but price sensitive market allows for emergence of more affordable, local offerings
Supermarkets dominate sales, while discounters drive growth
Flat outlook for other dairy
Health and wellness trends will impact sales
Innovation will be critical in de-commoditising other dairy
Plant-Based Dairy in Ecuador
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Growth slows in plant-based dairy as market becomes increasingly saturated
Nature’s Heart leads plant-based milk while Toni gains market share
Supermarkets play key role in distribution of plant-based offerings, although e-commerce is gaining traction
Growing competition will lead to more accessible prices
Targeting of specific health and wellness concerns will drive future growth
Sustainability claims offer untapped growth potential
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Dairy Products and Alternatives
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- Dried Baby Food
- Prepared Baby Food
- Other Baby Food
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- Liquid Standard Milk Formula
- Powder Standard Milk Formula
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- Liquid Follow-on Milk Formula
- Powder Follow-on Milk Formula
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- Liquid Growing-Up Milk Formula
- Powder Growing-Up Milk Formula
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- Liquid Special Baby Milk Formula
- Powder Special Baby Milk Formula
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- Butter
- Cooking Fats
- Margarine and Spreads
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- Spreadable Cheese
- Processed Cheese excl Spreadable
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- Packaged Hard Cheese
- Unpackaged Hard Cheese
- Soft Cheese
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- Dairy Only Flavoured Milk Drinks
- Flavoured Milk Drinks with Fruit Juice
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- Fat-free Fresh Milk
- Semi Skimmed Fresh Milk
- Full Fat Fresh Milk
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- Fat-free Shelf Stable Milk
- Semi Skimmed Shelf Stable Milk
- Full Fat Shelf Stable Milk
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- Goat Milk
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- Powder Milk
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- Sour Milk Products
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- Drinking Yoghurt
- Flavoured Yoghurt
- Plain Yoghurt
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- Chilled Dairy Desserts
- Shelf Stable Dairy Desserts
- Chilled Snacks
- Coffee Whiteners
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- Flavoured Condensed Milk
- Plain Condensed Milk
- Evaporated Milk
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- Cream
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- Flavoured Fromage Frais and Quark
- Plain Fromage Frais and Quark
- Savoury Fromage Frais and Quark
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- Soy Drinks
- Other Plant-based Milk
- Plant-based Yoghurt
- Plant-based Cheese
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This report originates from Passport, our Dairy Products and Alternatives research and analysis database.
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