Milk Link Enters Chinese Market

The market for cheese in China is seeing strong growth and Yili – which is already one of China’s largest dairy companies – is focused on becoming the market leader in this sector.

16/04/09 Milk Link, the UK’s most progressive integrated dairy business, has secured a contract with Yili, the leading Chinese dairy company, to supply Stilton and Cheddar to the Chinese market.  As part of the deal, Milk Link’s award winning Stilton and Cheddar will be available in major supermarket chains and leading hotels located in major cities across China.

The first shipment of cheese arrived in China this month and regular shipments are scheduled to supply the country’s rapidly growing supermarket chains. The market for cheese in China is seeing strong growth and Yili – which is already one of China’s largest dairy companies – is focused on becoming the market leader in this sector. Yili is already at the forefront of supplying dairy products through its yoghurt, long life milk, milk powder and ice cream businesses.

Milk Link’s cheese products will be sold in China under Yili’s ‘Pureday’ brand and will include the Milk Link logo on all packaging.

Commenting on the deal, Neil Kennedy, Milk Link Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Yili, one of China’s largest and most innovative dairy companies, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship.”

Gang Pan, CEO and President from Yili, commented: “We are delighted that we will be able to supply our customers with the finest award-winning British cheeses. We like to work with the best suppliers available, and believe that our partnership with Milk Link, one of the UK’s leading producers of British cheeses, will be a strong one.”

Simon Mercer, Head of Export at Milk Link, added: “This deal is the culmination of a lot of hard work and raises the bar for us in terms of our export business. We are now exporting our cheeses to over 25 major companies in 20 countries and this latest agreement is testament to the fantastic quality of our products.”