By Business & Finance 
Ornua has acquired the Shanghai based dairy manufacturer, Ambrosia Dairy, providing Ornua with its first manufacturing base in the rapidly growing Chinese food service industry.
Ambrosia supplies dairy products including sour cream, yoghurt and speciality cheeses to the high-end retail and Food Service markets in the Shanghai region.
Kerrygold Irish milk products are already on sale in China and this new arrangement offers strong sales opportunities for Irish dairy produce in premium Chinese markets.
The Ambrosia facility will also include a new product development centre that will focus on developing cheese products that meet the specific tastes of the Chinese consumer.
The Ambrosia acquisition is the latest in a series of significant investments by Ornua.
The last 18 months has seen Ornua invest in acquisitions and significant capital expenditure in Africa, Germany, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK and the US.
The acquisition also meets another key objective of building the Group’s capacity to develop premium dairy products for markets in milk deficit regions.
Kevin Lane, CEO of Ornua, said: “This acquisition is another important milestone in Ornua’s growth as a global supplier of quality dairy products. We are buying an excellent dairy enterprise, which allows us to significantly grow our Chinese business in one step. It provides us with a manufacturing base in China and brings on board a team with local knowledge and expertise, complementing our own existing in-market operation.
“Ambrosia Dairy is particularly well known for the quality of its cheeses and it has been at the forefront of the development of the domestic cheese market in Shanghai.”
