Hochwald reports sales increase for 2012

The Hochwald Group, including the dairy of the same name, Germany’s second largest milk processing organisation with a total of seven plants in Germany and one in the Netherlands, reports an estimated increase of 8% in turnover for 2012. Preliminary results indicate sales of €1.26 billion. Based on a cooperative structure, this dairy has complemented a strong domestic sales record for UHT milk, dairy drinks, cheese, yogurt and cream with a rapidly expanding export business over the past two decades. Now Hochwald products, which also include canned milk and, from one dedicated plant, canned and bottled sausage meats, are shipped to 130 countries.

Chairman Dr Karl-Heinz Engel says that export share of turnover for the last year should be around 37% or €475m of which €218 m was earned outside of the EU. These figures represent increases on the previous year’s exports of 8.2% and 49.3% respectively. Dr Engel says the difficult financial conditions within Germany, with leading discount chains dominating any price negotiations, makes it more desirable than ever to increase emphasise on foreign marketing for the dairy products produced by the Hochwald Group.