Soprole or Sociedad de Productores de Leche is a Chilean maker of dairy products. Under the Soprole brand, the company markets yogurt, 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...

, pastries

Pastry

Pastry is the name given to various kinds of baked products made from ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder and/or eggs. Small cakes, tarts and other sweet baked products are called "pastries."...

, and butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...

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History

Soprole was created in 1948, initially as a 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...

, 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....

 and butter

Butter

Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...

 producer. In the 1970s, it diversified its production into more value-added products like juices, pastries and yogurt. Juan Luis Undurraga Aninat, one of the founders, acquired the shares of other investors allowing him to control more than 40 percent of the company. In 1986, The New Zealand Dairy Board, now part of 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...

, acquired more than 50 percent of Soprole's shares, giving it majority control. That same year, Juan Luis Undurraga Aninat transferred his shares of the company to create the Fundación Isabel Aninat. Under the control of the New Zealand Dairy Board, Soprole bought out some of its competitors like Lácteos Pirque in 1994 and Dos Álamos in 1997. Today, 76 percent of the Chilean dairy market is controlled by four companies: Nestlé

Nestlé

Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...

, Soprole, Loncoleche and Colún

Colun

Colun may refer to:*COLUN, a milk and milk derivatives company based in La Unión, Chile*Colún Beach, a beach in Chile west of La Unión*Colun, a village in Porumbacu de Jos Commune, Sibiu County, Romania...

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