Sodial, 3A Coop to merge
French dairy cooperatives Sodiaal and 3A Coop have announced that the two organisations plan to merge, with completion expected by the end of the year.
Sodiaal operates throughout France, collecting some 4.1 billion litres of milk witth a 2012 turnover of €4.4 billion. It encompasses 12,100 producers, and employs 7,250 people across 49 sites. Its well-known brands include Entremont and Riches Monts (with Bongrain in the cheese sector; Candia, the top-selling drinking milk; and Yoplait (with General Mills).
3A Coop operates in the south-west of France with its headquarters in Toulouse. It collects 468 million litres of milk per year, has 2,000 producers and a turnover of €756 million. Just over 2,000 employees are spread across 21 production sites.
3A Coop president is reported to have said that the merger makes sense in light of the end of milk quotas in 2015, which he believes will cause significant dislocation in the industry. As such, it made sense to merge with Sodiaal in order to protect jobs. He also noted that the merger would create opportunities, and allow projects to be undertaken that would not have been possible with 3A’s resources alone.
