Arla buys US-based White Clover

Arla Foods has purchased White Clover Dairy, a speciality cheese producer in the US. The company previously produced havarti and fets for Arla Foods under licence.

The dairy, with 170 employees, will “provide Arla with the capacity for future expansion at a time when access to locally produced speciality cheese is a natural part of Arla’s long-term strategy for the US,” the company says.
Arla notes its Canadian operations due to its takeover of National Cheese Company in Canada, “have more than met expectations.” As a result, it is keen to reproduce this success with the US deal.
With the White Clover buy, Arla is also obtaining production of added-value Edam and Gouda. Production will initially be around 5,000 tons of cheese, but may be increased to 15,300 tons, and may include other speciality cheeses. The speciality cheese marketi n the US has grown by 8% per year. Arla’s brands in the US include Rosenburg, Dofino, Denmark’s Finest and Lurpack.