Sobbeke of Germany links up with Bongrain

The distribution demands for a regional dairy going international has encouraged the German traditional family firm Sobbeke to form a marketing agreement with another family concern – but a very much larger one – the EUR3.6 billion turnover French Bongrain dairy. Bongrain is known worldwide for its speciality cheeses (Le Tartare, Saint Agur) while Sobbeke is making a name for itself in cheeses too, winning the gold medal at the World Championships 2007 with its spicy Munsterlander Grienkenschmied.

The organic dairy produce sector is a thriving one in Germany and this means Westphalia-based Sobbeke, claiming to be Germany’s largest full-line biomilk dairy now, has just finished building a state-of-the-art fruit yogurt filling plant. This investment follows similar dairy plant expansion in 2009 when Sobbeke launched a partnership with local organic fruit growers so that the family dairy could offer regional fruit in its yogurts.

2012 will see the Westphalia company celebrating 23 years in the organic milk sector by changing over completely to recycled “green energy” in its yogurt and cheese plants.