GERMANY – One of Europe’s largest organic milk processors, Andechser Molkerei Scheitz, and Bavarian dairy Uplaender Bauern-Molkerei have joined forces to create a new marketing co-operative.

Between them, the two companies processed 114 million kg of organic milk in 2001. They are inviting farmer suppliers to join the marketing co-op, which will be used to strengthen networks, sales and advertising in Germany and neighbouring countries.
Total sales of milk and milk products from organic farms topped 250,000 tonnes in Germany 2000, according to the national dairy industry association (MIV). This represented just under 1% of all milk produced in the country.

Latest figures released by the ZMP (central Marketing and price office) in Frankfurt indicate that retail sales of organic and fresh milk products have doubled in 2001 over 2000. The biggest growth is in own-label products, which represent 60% of all retail sales. Leader in this sector is the Edeka chain, which now commands 5.6% of the organic dairy food market nationwide.

The continuing boom of organic products has led to a number of new products, especially out of Bavaria, which tends to have smaller farms. One example of these new products is Goldsteig, Germany’s leading producer of Mozzarella, introducing a new organic Mozzarella.

Targets for these kinds of products are becoming more international, too. The Andechser organic dairy and its marketing partner are now exporting organic products to Austria, Italy and Belgium. A spokesman for Andechser Molkerei Scheitz told ConnectingDairy News: “We are also very interested in the British market.” Andescher has been in business since 1900, although commercial cheesemaking in the Scheitz family can be documented as far back as 1720. In 2001, the company achieved a turnover of 100 million euro from organic dairy products.

The smaller Uplaendeer organisation realised 11.5 million euro from organic products, and earned about the same again from its non-organic milk sector.