Emmi Expands Goat’s Milk Products Business
Swiss dairy company Emmi is acquiring the Le Petit Chevrier brand from Fromagerie Bettex for an undisclosed sum to expand its expertise in the fast-growing goat’s milk products market. Production will subsequently be transferred in stages and the goat’s cheese specialities will be manufactured at Emmi’s production site in Kaltbach in the canton of Lucerne from the end of 2011.
Soft and semi-hard goat’s milk cheeses are already produced at Kaltbach. However, the acquisition and relocation of production will necessitate an expansion of this site. The production and maturing capacities will therefore be increased.
The market for goat’s cheese products is currently performing very well, with double-digit growth rates being reported, particularly in the fresh cheese segment. Over half of the volume of the Swiss market stems from domestically produced cheese, most of which is manufactured and marketed by small businesses.