Unilever divests more cheese interests
Germany via the acquisition of the Milkana and Bresso brands from
Unilever.
Bongrain has extended its presence in Germany with the acquisition of the cheese operations of Unilever Bestfoods Deutschland.
The French cheese maker already owns a number of leading brands in Germany, including Chaumes, Saint Albray, Géramont, Fol Epi and Tartare, and will now add Unilever's Milkana and Bresso labels to its portfolio there.
The two brands, which span the soft, fresh and processed cheese categories, are a good fit with Bongrain's core business, but are less so with that of Unilever, which has been selling off a number of non-core units over the last two years as part of its Path to Growth programme.
The price paid was not disclosed.
The deal also includes a production facility in Bavaria , where Bongrain will continue to produce a number of Unilever brands (Brunch, Du Darfst and Becel) under licence for the Anglo-Dutch group.
Bongrain claims to be the world's leading speciality cheese maker, and last year posted sales of €3.94 billion. It is an increasingly international company, with some 50 per cent of last year's turnover coming from outside its home market. The company has more than 90 production facilities in 21 different countries.
The German disposal follows just a week after Unilever Bestfoods sold its South African cheese unit to another major European player, Italian company Parmalat Finanziaria.
