FrieslandCampina fulfills last merger condition with Bleskensgraaf sale
The Commission has just given its approval for the purchase by Delta Milk of the FrieslandCampina cheese production plant in Bleskensgraaf, the Netherlands.
Bleskensgraaf makes Gouda cheese products in the traditional round format and in block format, with a production capacity of 39,000 tonnes, and turnover in 2008 of €140m.
The sale of the plant was the last of the conditions attached to the approval of the Friesland and Campina merger. Back in December 2008, the Commission gave the green light subject to the sale of the fresh dairy operations in Nijkerk, the brands Yogho! Yogho! and Choco! Choco, and the cheese activities in Bleskensgraaf.
These conditions were designed to prevent FrieslandCampina from dominating the Dutch market.
The fresh dairy activities in Nijkerk have already been sold to Arla Foods in Denmark and the Yogho! Yogho! and Choco! Choco! brands have been sold to Inza, a subsidiary of Milcobel in Belgium.
