Dairy Farmers
Encyclopedia
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.
region of New South Wales
. The aim of the co-op was to market their milk and butter products effectively to city customers.
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.
In 2005, Dairy Farmers came third in dairy sales, with Norco Co-operative
second and National Foods
with their brand Pura coming first.
; 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.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, established in 1900, supplying products to local and international markets such as Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
Kirin Brewery Company
is a Japanese company. It is a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu.-Overview:Kirin sells two of the most popular beers in Japan, Kirin Lager--the country's oldest beer brand--and Ichiban Shibori. In the happoshu category, Kirin Tanrei is the top seller. Kirin handles domestic distribution for...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, via its subsidiary National Foods
National Foods
National Foods is an Australian company and subsidiary of holding company Lion Nathan National Foods , wholly owned by the Japanese Kirin Holdings Company Limited, and consequently the Mitsubishi Group....
, acquired the company on 27 November 2008.
History
On , the Dairy Farmers Co-operative Milk Co. Limited was created by 65 stakeholders, most being dairy farmers in the IllawarraIllawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
region of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
. The aim of the co-op was to market their milk and butter products effectively to city customers.
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.
In 2005, Dairy Farmers came third in dairy sales, with Norco Co-operative
Norco milk
Norco Co-operative Limited is an agricultural supply and marketing co-operative based in northern New South Wales, Australia.Established in 1895, it sells products and services locally and internationally...
second and National Foods
National Foods
National Foods is an Australian company and subsidiary of holding company Lion Nathan National Foods , wholly owned by the Japanese Kirin Holdings Company Limited, and consequently the Mitsubishi Group....
with their brand Pura coming first.
Brands
Dairy Farmers markets a number of brands, among them cheeses such as COONCoon
Coon may refer to:* Coon, a racial slur used in the United States to refer to black people* Coon, an abbreviation for fur from raccoons and racoon dogs* Coön , a Trojan warrior who fought in the Trojan War...
; 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 LimitedNational Foods LimitedNational Foods Limited is a Pakistani company founded in 1970 which started out as a Spice company. In 1988, National Foods became the certified vendor of McCormick, USA...