DeltaMilk’s Takeover of Bleskensgraaf Cheese Production Plant Finalised

The takeover of the Bleskensgraaf cheese production location, including the plant in Bleskensgraaf, includes the production lines, land, buildings, machinery and recipes.

2 Dec 2009 --- The European Commission has approved the purchase by the cooperative milk supplier association, DeltaMilk B.A., of Koninklijke FrieslandCampina N.V.’s cheese production location in Bleskensgraaf.

The transaction was finalised on 1 December 2009. The takeover of the Bleskensgraaf cheese production location, including the plant in Bleskensgraaf, includes the production lines, land, buildings, machinery and recipes. The 50 employees will be transferred to DeltaMilk. FrieslandCampina is guaranteeing the supply of raw milk to the Bleskensgraaf production location until 1 January 2017.

Bleskensgraaf makes Gouda cheese products in the traditional round format and in block format. The location has a production capacity of 39,000 tonnes. Turnover in 2008 amounted to some €140 million.

DeltaMilk is a cooperative milk supplier association with 70 dairy farmer members. The cooperative is based in Meerkerk. The dairy farmers are based mainly in the western and central part of the Netherlands.

Merger means completion of European Commission merger conditions

The European Commission approved the merger of Friesland Foods and Campina at the end of December 2008, subject to the sale of the daily fresh dairy operations in Nijkerk, the brands Yogho! Yogho! and Choco! Choco and the cheese activities in Bleskensgraaf to prevent FrieslandCampina from dominating the Dutch market. As a result of the transfer of the cheese activities in Bleskensgraaf to DeltaMilk, FrieslandCampina has complied with all the European Commission’s merger conditions. The daily fresh dairy activities in Nijkerk have already been sold to Arla Foods in Denmark and the Yogho! Yogho! and Choco! Choco! brands have been sold to Inza, a subsidiary of Milcobel in Belgium. In addition, the Dutch Milk Foundation has been established to make Dutch raw milk available.