Chinese dairy firm Beijing Sanyuan Foods has announced it is to take a 90% stake in ice cream maker Islay Hogi for CNY1.3bn (US$197.8m).

The Islay Hogi brand is owned by Agricultural Farm Holdings, a subsidiary of China’s BHL Agriculture Group Holdings.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Islay Hogi produces liquid milk and milk-based ice cream products.

The deal marks Beijing Sanyuan’s entry into the ice cream sector. The company produces yoghurt, bagged milk, milk drinks, UHT milk and infant formula.

Beijing Sanyuan said it would realise synergies in raw material procurement, production, R&D.

Last year, Beijing Sanyuan found itself tied up in a media scandal alleging it was adding toxic industrial gelatin to its yoghurt products. It issued a statement insisting its gelatin had been passed as safe to use.

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

China is the world’s largest market for ice cream, according to research published last summer by Mintel. Between 2008 and 2014, the total market value for ice cream sales in China nearly doubled, rising 90% to $11.4bn. However, per capita consumption was around four litres, compared to 18.4 litres in the world’s second-largest market of the US.

Just Food Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Food Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Winning five categories in the 2025 Just Food Excellence Awards, Centric Software is setting the pace for digital transformation in food and FMCG. Explore how its integrated PLM and PXM suite delivers faster launches, smarter compliance and data-driven growth for complex, multi-channel product portfolios.

Discover the Impact