Dairy Farmers
 | |
| Industry | Food |
|---|---|
| Founded | 15 January 1900 |
| Headquarters |
Homebush Bay, New South Wales |
Area served | Australia |
| Products | Dairy |
| Revenue |
 A$1,310 million (2008) |
|
A$71 million (2008) | |
| Profit |
A$13.7 million (2008) |
| Owner | Kirin Holdings Co. Ltd. |
Number of employees | ~1,800 |
| Parent | National Foods |
| Divisions | Australian Co-operative Foods Limited |
| Website | www.dairyfarmers.com.au |
Dairy Farmers is one of the largest and oldest dairy manufacturers in Australia, established in 1900, supplying products to local and international markets such as Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Kirin Holdings Company, Limited of Japan, via its subsidiary National Foods, acquired the company on 27 November 2008.[1][2]
History
On 15 January 1900, the Dairy Farmers Co-operative Milk Co. Limited was created by 65 stakeholders, most being dairy farmers is in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The aim of the co-op was to market their milk and butter products effectively to city customers.[3]
After 107 years of Dairy Farmers being 100% Australian owned by Australian dairy farmers, with 11 processing facilities in the country, the company is now foreign owned by National Foods Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, which is part of the Kirin Group of Japan.[4]
In 2005, Dairy Farmers came third in dairy sales, with Norco Co-operative second and National Foods with their brand Pura coming first.
Brands
Dairy Farmers markets a number of brands, among them cheeses such as COON; a selection of milk varieties, sold under the main brand; and flavoured milks branded as OAK and Moove. These products are produced at 12 major factories in Australia.
Company milestones
- 1900 – Company established (The Dairy Farmers Co-operative Milk Co. Limited)
- 1935 – Established first bottling plant in Sydney
- Mid-1960s – Began producing cottage cheese and flavored yogurts
- 1977 – Invested in Ultra High Temperature (UHT) production
- 1989 – Acquisitions and mergers saw the formation of, Australian Co-operative Foods (ACF), to be known as Dairy Farmers
- 1997 – Acquired the COON, Mil Lel and Fred Walker cheese brands, and the licence for the Cracker Barrel brand. Merged with Malanda Dairy Foods and integrated the Dairy Vale business
- 2005 – Restructured and refocused the company. Separated the FMCG business from the milk supply co-operative
- 2008 – Acquired by Japanese owned food and beverage company, National Foods
References
- ↑ "Japanese firm readies bid for Dairy Farmers". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2008-08-26.
- ↑ "National Foods to acquire Dairy Farmers for $910 million" (Press release). Dairy Farmers Limited. 2008-08-25. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ↑ "Our History". Student pack. Australian Co-operative Foods Limited. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
- ↑ "Facts at a glance". What we do. Australian Co-operative Foods Limited. Retrieved 2007-09-02.