UK dairy firm Milk Link has secured a contract with Chinese dairy Yili to supply stilton and cheddar to the Chinese market.
As part of the deal, Milk Link’s two cheeses will be available in major supermarket chains and leading hotels located in major cities across China, the company said today (14 April).
The first shipment arrived in China this month and regular shipments are scheduled to supply the country’s rapidly growing supermarket chains. The products will be sold under Yili’s ‘Pureday’ brand and will include the Milk Link logo on all packaging.
Simon Mercer, head of export at Milk Link, said: “This deal is the culmination of a lot of hard work and raises the bar for us in terms of our export business. We are now exporting our cheeses to over 25 major companies in 20 countries and this latest agreement is testament to the fantastic quality of our products.”
Yili said it is focused on becoming the “market leader” in the Chinese cheese sector, which is currently experiencing strong growth. The company currently supplies dairy products through its yoghurt, long life milk, milk powder and ice cream businesses.
Gang Pan, CEO and president of Yili, said: “We are delighted that we will be able to supply our customers with the finest award-winning British cheeses. We like to work with the best suppliers available, and believe that our partnership with Milk Link, one of the UK’s leading producers of British cheeses, will be a strong one.”
