First Milk Expands With Kingdom Acquisition
Dairy co-operative First Milk has purchased Kingdom Cheese and Kingdom Dairies, both based in Fife in Scotland, in a move that strengthens its presence in the UK and international cheese markets. The acquisition means that, in addition to producing a comprehensive range of award-winning cheddars, First Milk will now be able to offer its customers a selection of cottage cheese, soft cheese, mozzarella products and creams.
Kingdom Dairies produces an array of cottage cheese and soft cheese products for a range of customers including the major retail chains, food service wholesalers and food manufacturers. Kingdom Cheese supplies food service, wholesalers and pizza chains in the UK, Ireland and Europe with mozzarella cheese, cheddar mixes and blends in shredded, grated and diced formats.
“The acquisition is bang on target with our drive to diversify our product and customer base,” explains Kate Allum, chief executive of First Milk. “Kingdom has a growing export portfolio, which complements the work on cheese, powder and butter we have been doing recently with Eilers & Wheeler in international markets.”
She adds: “The flexibility of the Kingdom Dairies processing facility provides us with a wide range of new product development opportunities for soft cheese. We will explore options across both branded and retail private label market opportunities. Ultimately, the key measure is that we firmly believe that this move provides us with a platform to grow not only turnover and profits but also the returns we can provide to our members.”
