January 26, 2007

France's Danone enters Thai dairy market
 

France's Groupe Danone announced the creation of a business producing fresh dairy products, Danone Dairy Thailand, and agreed on a strategic partnership with local player, Dutch Mill.

The Thai market offers promising growth for the dairy industry.

Dutch Mill is one of the fastest growing and largest manufacturers of high-quality dairy products, serving the demands of both local and international consumers. With sales exceeding US$300 million, the group is one of the leading manufacturers of dairy products in Thailand and also exports to ASEAN countries.

The move was aimed at developing Danone brand in countries where it does not have a presence yet, pointed out Bernard Hours, vice president for fresh dairy products.

Dutch Mill intends to make use of Danone's technical and R&D capabilities to shorten the time-to-market for value added products and thus contribute to improve the Thai dairy industry.