Milk Link

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Milk Link Ltd
TypeCo-operative (Private Limited with share capital 04427868)
IndustryDairy
PredecessorMilk Marque (indirectly)
FoundedApril 30, 2000 (2000-04-30)
Headquarters3120 Great Western Court, Hunts Ground Road, Stoke Gifford, Bristol, BS34 8HP
Area served
UK
Key people
Neil Kennedy
Chief Executive
ProductsMilk, cheese
Revenue£586 million (2010/11)
£15.1 million[1]
OwnerBritish Farmers Community
DivisionsMilk Link, Cheese
Milk Link, Milk
WebsiteMilk Link

Milk Link is a large dairy company in the United Kingdom. It is the UK's largest dairy cooperative and the UK's largest producer of cheese. In 2012 the company merged with Arla Foods.

History[]

It was formed in April 2000 as one of three successor co-operatives to . Milk Marque was broken up after the Competition Commission queried how it set milk prices.

In July 2002, the company bought the Crediton and Kirkcudbright creameries from Express Dairies for £33.1 million, which both make UHT milk. It also bought out the 50% of joint-venture partner Express Dairies in the creamery at Frome. As noted below, the Crediton operations were later sold in a management buyout.

In February 2004 it set up The Cheese Company with Kilkenny-based Glanbia, which had four cheese production sites and a packing facility supplying major retailers in the UK, in which it took a 75% stake. In December 2006 it bought out Glanbia for £47.2 million.

In July 2005 it closed a site at Sible Hedingham.[2]

From October 2007[3] to February 2008[4] there were talks to merge with First Milk.

In August 2011 it split into two divisions named 'Milk Link, Cheese' and 'Milk Link, Milk'.[5]

In September 2011 it announced that it would increase the size of the Lockerbie creamery by 50% to produce 37,000 tonnes of cheese a year, into a UK market which consumes 600,000 tonnes of cheese a year.

In 2012 the company merged with Arla Foods.

Products[]

Each year it handles around 1.5 billion litres of milk.

It makes the chocolate-flavoured milk under licence for the Mars and Galaxy brand.

Cheeses[]

  • Cheddar
  • Stilton
  • Cheshire
  • Red Leicester
  • Cheshire
  • Double Gloucester
  • Lancashire
  • Wensleydale
  • Caerphilly
  • Cornish Brie
  • Cornish Camembert
  • Shropshire Blue

It exports cheese to 19 countries.

Taw Valley Creamery at North Tawton

Structure[]

Creameries[]

See also[]

Lockerbie Creamery, formerly owned by The Cheese Company before 2007

References[]

  1. ^ Telegraph May 2011
  2. ^ Essex site July 2005
  3. ^ Merger October 2007
  4. ^ Merger February 2008
  5. ^ Food Manufacture August 2011
  6. ^ Taw Valley Creamery

External links[]

Video clips[]

News items[]

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