National Foods
Encyclopedia
National Foods is an Australian company and subsidiary
of holding company Lion Nathan National Foods
, wholly owned by the Japan
ese Kirin Holdings Company Limited
, and consequently the Mitsubishi Group.
It is Australia's largest dairy food and juice company, with core activities in milk
, fresh dairy foods, juice and specialty cheese
.
National Foods was created by the Adelaide Steamship Company
in 1991 by amalgamating several dairy and food related businesses with brand names and histories dating back to the 19th century.
The company is a major milk producer in Australia with its flagship Pura brand. It is also a major juice producer and a leader in the fresh dairy products market. As of 2007, National Foods has almost half the national flavoured milk market with brand Big M
, and Farmers Union Iced Coffee has the unusual distinction of being one of only three soft drinks to outsell Coca-Cola in its market-place. National Foods also manufactures yogurt, fromage frais, dairy desserts, cream and cheese under brands that include Yoplait, Frûche, Divine Classic, YoGo and Farmers Union. The company also produces a range of premium specialty cheeses under brands such as King Island Dairy, South Cape, Tilba, Timboon and Clover Creek.
entered a bidding war for National Foods with New Zealand
's Fonterra
in 2004. National Foods board unanimously accepted the San Miguel Corporation offer. In 2005 San Miguel acquired National Foods for $1.8 billion. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had earlier signed off on San Miguel Corporation's various Australian acquisitions, noting "there is no overlap between San Miguel's different activities in Australia and hence no change likely to the different markets in which these businesses operate." National Foods had earlier sold its juice business to Berri Ltd. After their acquisition National Foods regained 100% ownership of Berri Ltd. in December 2005. The two operations began the merger process soon afterwards. Following the merger, National Foods became the largest citrus and fruit processor in Australia, packaging approximately 50% of all fruit juice beverages sold in Australia. This led to National Foods having 3500 employees and 20 processing plants around Australia and New Zealand, with seven milk plants, five juice plants, four specialty cheese plants, a cheese packaging plant, two dairy foods plants and a joint venture soy beverage plant.
On the 8 November 2007, San Miguel Corp. sold National Foods to Kirin Holdings Co. (which had a 20% stake in San Miguel) for $3.1 billion. National Foods became a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin, and in 2009, when Kirin acquired Lion Nathan
, the two were merged to create Lion Nathan National Foods. San Miguel no longer had any working relations with Australia.
(milk), Big M
(flavoured milk), Farmers Union Iced Coffee (flavoured milk), Masters (flavoured milk), Moove (flavoured milk) , King Island Dairy (cheese), Tasmanian Heritage (cheese), Yoplait
(yogurt), Berri
(juice), Vitasoy
(Soy Milk, Oat Milk, Rice Milk). It produces these products from a total of 24 major facilities (19 in Australia, 1 in New Zealand, 2 in Malaysia, 2 in Indonesia).
Subsidiary
A subsidiary company, subsidiary, or daughter company is a company that is completely or partly owned and wholly controlled by another company that owns more than half of the subsidiary's stock. The subsidiary can be a company, corporation, or limited liability company. In some cases it is a...
of holding company Lion Nathan National Foods
Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited...
, wholly owned by the 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...
ese 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...
, and consequently the Mitsubishi Group.
It is Australia's largest dairy food and juice company, with core activities in milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
, fresh dairy foods, juice and specialty cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
.
National Foods was created by the Adelaide Steamship Company
Adelaide Steamship Company
The Adelaide Steamship Company was formed by a group of South Australian businessmen in 1875. Their aim was to control the transport of goods between Adelaide and Melbourne and profit from the need for an efficient and comfortable passenger service...
in 1991 by amalgamating several dairy and food related businesses with brand names and histories dating back to the 19th century.
The company is a major milk producer in Australia with its flagship Pura brand. It is also a major juice producer and a leader in the fresh dairy products market. As of 2007, National Foods has almost half the national flavoured milk market with brand Big M
Big M
Big M is a popular brand of flavoured milk that was established in Melton, Victoria in 1978. Its distribution has expanded to include the states of New South Wales and Queensland as well as its state of origin. The brand has gained popularity through television ad campaigns such as 'Think Big, but...
, and Farmers Union Iced Coffee has the unusual distinction of being one of only three soft drinks to outsell Coca-Cola in its market-place. National Foods also manufactures yogurt, fromage frais, dairy desserts, cream and cheese under brands that include Yoplait, Frûche, Divine Classic, YoGo and Farmers Union. The company also produces a range of premium specialty cheeses under brands such as King Island Dairy, South Cape, Tilba, Timboon and Clover Creek.
Acquisition and merger
San Miguel CorporationSan Miguel Corporation
Established in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
entered a bidding war for National Foods with New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's Fonterra
Fonterra
Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational dairy co-operative owned by almost 10,500 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exceeding NZ$19.87 billion, is New Zealand's largest company.- History :In...
in 2004. National Foods board unanimously accepted the San Miguel Corporation offer. In 2005 San Miguel acquired National Foods for $1.8 billion. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission had earlier signed off on San Miguel Corporation's various Australian acquisitions, noting "there is no overlap between San Miguel's different activities in Australia and hence no change likely to the different markets in which these businesses operate." National Foods had earlier sold its juice business to Berri Ltd. After their acquisition National Foods regained 100% ownership of Berri Ltd. in December 2005. The two operations began the merger process soon afterwards. Following the merger, National Foods became the largest citrus and fruit processor in Australia, packaging approximately 50% of all fruit juice beverages sold in Australia. This led to National Foods having 3500 employees and 20 processing plants around Australia and New Zealand, with seven milk plants, five juice plants, four specialty cheese plants, a cheese packaging plant, two dairy foods plants and a joint venture soy beverage plant.
On the 8 November 2007, San Miguel Corp. sold National Foods to Kirin Holdings Co. (which had a 20% stake in San Miguel) for $3.1 billion. National Foods became a wholly owned subsidiary of Kirin, and in 2009, when Kirin acquired Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited...
, the two were merged to create Lion Nathan National Foods. San Miguel no longer had any working relations with Australia.
Brands
National Foods core brands are: PuraPura
Pura may refer to:* Pura , Balinese Hindu temple* Pura, Tarlac, a municipality in the province of Tarlac, Philippines* Pura, Switzerland, an Italian-speaking municipality in the canton of Ticino...
(milk), Big M
Big M
Big M is a popular brand of flavoured milk that was established in Melton, Victoria in 1978. Its distribution has expanded to include the states of New South Wales and Queensland as well as its state of origin. The brand has gained popularity through television ad campaigns such as 'Think Big, but...
(flavoured milk), Farmers Union Iced Coffee (flavoured milk), Masters (flavoured milk), Moove (flavoured milk) , King Island Dairy (cheese), Tasmanian Heritage (cheese), Yoplait
Yoplait
Yoplait is a brand of yogurt produced by a company owned by two French holdings, SODIAAL and PAI Partners.-History:In 1964, 100,000 French farmers merged their regional dairy cooperatives to sell nationally. In 1965, two co-ops, "Yola" and "Coplait", merged, becoming "Yoplait"...
(yogurt), Berri
Berri
Berri may refer to:* Berri , British singer of "Sunshine after the Rain"* Berri, South Australia, a town in Australia* Berri Ltd., a juice brand in Australia* Berri-UQAM station on the Montreal Metro...
(juice), Vitasoy
Vitasoy
Vitasoy is a brand of beverages and desserts in Hong Kong. Founded in 1940, it now operates under the Vitasoy International Holdings Limited based in Hong Kong....
(Soy Milk, Oat Milk, Rice Milk). It produces these products from a total of 24 major facilities (19 in Australia, 1 in New Zealand, 2 in Malaysia, 2 in Indonesia).
Company milestones
- 1991 - Listed on Australia Stock Exchange;
- 1992 - Acquired NSW dairy company United Dairies;
- 1995 - Secured Australian license for French brand Yoplait. Sales of Yoplait brand started in the following year;
- 1999 - Pura brand became Australia's first and only national milk brand;
- 2000 - Acquired Big M brand;
- 2001 - Acquired King Island Company. Entered into specialty cheese market;
- 2002 - Won first national supermarket house brand milk contract;
- 2005 - Acquired by San Miguel CorporationSan Miguel CorporationEstablished in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
; San Miguel subsidiary Berri Limited merged with National Foods; - 2006 - Acquired specialty cheese manufacturer Lactos Pty Ltd;
- 2007 - Acquired by Kirin Holdings Company, LimitedKirin Brewery Companyis 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...
; - 2008 - Planned acquisition of Dairy FarmersDairy FarmersDairy 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...
(as Australian Co-operative Foods Limited) - 2009 - Kirin gained shareholder approval to acquire 100% of Lion NathanLion NathanLion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited...
- plan to create "Lion Nathan National Foods"