Friday, October 30, 2020

Fonterra inks deal for U.S. market

Fonterra, a monopoly company that controls dairy exports from New Zealand, has signed a five-year distribution deal Land O’ Lakes of Wisconsin of Minnesota.

Under the deal, Land O’ Lakes will distribute cream cheese and UHT (ultra-high-temperature) cooking cream to its food service customers.

Fonterra global director of food service Paul Harvey said the U.S. is the largest and most competitive dairy food service market in the world.

Land O’ Lakes is a farmer-owned business that is more than 100 years old and had sales of $14 billion US last year and profits of $207 mililon.

Harvey said Fonterra hopes to expand the range of products it will market via Land O’ Lakes.

Why U.S. farmers would sign a deal that brings foreign competitors into its business is somewhat of a mystery to me.