Arla Foods facts for kids
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| Cooperative with limited liability (Danish: Andelsselskab med begrænset ansvar) | |
| Industry | Dairy |
| Predecessor | Arla Oy MD Foods |
| Founded | 17 April 2000 |
| Headquarters |
Viby
,
Denmark
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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Peder Tuborgh (CEO) Jan Toft Nørgaard (Chairman) Jonathan Evans (UK milk) |
| Revenue | 13.8 billion EUR (2022) |
| 400 million EUR (2022) | |
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Number of employees
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20,907 (2022) |
| Subsidiaries | Arla Foods Finland Arla Foods UK |
Arla Foods is a big company that makes dairy products. It is owned by farmers from Denmark and Sweden. Its main office is in Viby, Denmark.
Arla Foods is one of the largest dairy companies in the world. It is the biggest producer of dairy products in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. The company was created on April 17, 2000. This happened when a Swedish dairy group called Arla joined with a Danish company called MD Foods. The name "Arla" means "early" in an old Swedish way.
Contents
Arla's Story: How It Grew
Starting Small: Early Dairy Farms
In the 1880s, dairy farmers in Sweden and Denmark started working together. They formed small groups called cooperatives. This helped them share facilities to make dairy products. The very first dairy cooperative in Sweden began in 1881. It was called Arla Mejeriförening. In Denmark, the first cooperative dairy started in 1882.
Growing Bigger: Mergers and New Names
In 1915, farmers near Stockholm, Sweden, created a large dairy group. It was called Lantmännens mjölkförsäljningsförening. This group ran dairies and even had its own shops. In 1927, the company changed its name to Mjölkcentralen, or MC for short. By the 1950s, more dairy cooperatives in Sweden joined MC. In 1975, MC changed its name again to Arla. By the end of the 1900s, Arla sold 65% of all dairy products in Sweden.
Meanwhile, in Denmark, a company called Mejeriselskabet Danmark (MD) started in 1970. It was formed by several dairy companies joining together. In 1988, MD changed its name to MD Foods. By 1999, MD Foods had grown very large. It produced 90% of Denmark's milk.
In April 2000, the Swedish Arla and Danish MD Foods decided to merge. This created Arla Foods A.m.b.A. This is the Arla Foods we know today.
Arla Today: What They Do
Arla Foods is a huge dairy company worldwide. As of early 2022, it is owned by 8,492 farmers. These farmers are from countries like Denmark, Sweden, Germany, and the UK.
Arla Foods sells many different brands of dairy products. Some of its most important brands are Arla, Lurpak, Puck, and Castello cheeses. These brands are sold all over the world. The Arla brand covers many different types of dairy products. Lurpak is famous for butter and spreads. Puck is a popular Arla brand in the Middle East. Castello is known for its various cheeses, like blue cheese.
Arla also works with Starbucks. They make and sell Starbucks' ready-to-drink coffee products. These are sold in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
In 2011, Arla Foods created a separate company called Arla Foods Ingredients (AFI). AFI makes special ingredients from milk. These ingredients are used by other food companies. They include milk proteins and other helpful parts of milk. AFI has factories in Denmark, Argentina, and Germany. Arla Foods also invests in new production sites. For example, they invested in a cheese factory in Bahrain in 2019.
Challenges: The 2006 Boycott
In 2006, Arla's sales were greatly affected in the Middle East. This was due to a two-month boycott of Danish products. The boycott happened because of anger over some cartoons published in Denmark. These cartoons showed the Prophet Muhammad.
When the Danish government did not immediately respond to concerns, the boycott began. It started in Saudi Arabia and spread across the Middle East. This region was Arla's biggest market outside of Europe.
On February 3, 2006, Arla announced that its sales in the Middle East had stopped completely. This was costing the company about US$2 million every day. The Danish government and the newspaper later apologized. However, the boycott continued for two months.
In March 2006, Arla placed advertisements in Saudi Arabia. They apologized for the cartoons and showed respect for Islam. This caused some debate in Denmark. In April 2006, Arla's products started to be sold in Middle Eastern shops again. Arla also began supporting good causes in the Middle East. This helped improve its public image in the region.
Campaigns: Don’t Cancel the Cow
In 2022, Arla launched an advertising campaign. It was called "Don't Cancel the Cow." This campaign talked about how more young people are choosing vegan diets. Arla wanted to show that the dairy industry still has a future. The campaign aimed to talk to young people about their concerns. These concerns often include how cows milk production affects the environment.
Where Arla Products Are Sold Around the World
Arla products are sold in many countries through different partners:
- Indonesia: Distributed by Indofood, Pandurasa Kharisma, and Prambanan Kencana.
- Malaysia: Distributed by Lamsoon.
- China: Distributed by Mengniu.
- Japan: Distributed by various smaller companies.
- Korea: Distributed by Maeil Dairies.
- Egypt: Distributed by Juhayna.
- West Africa: Distributed by Tolaram Group.
- United States: Distributed by Dairy Farmers of America.
- Germany: Distributed by DMK Group.
- United Kingdom: Distributed by Volac.
See also
In Spanish: Arla Foods para niños
- First Milk (company)
- List of companies of Sweden
- List of companies of Denmark
