Bongrain said today (15 May) that its acquisition of Belgian soft cheese business Passendale would bolster its presence in the more traditional parts of the category.
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The French dairy group has snapped up Passendale from Dutch dairy co-operative Campina for an undisclosed sum.
Bongrain is best known for its speciality cheeses but a spokesperson said the company wants to sell cheeses for “everyday consumption”.
“Up to now, we have exported our French cheeses to Belgium but they are cheeses for special occasions not for everyday consumption,” the Bongrain spokesperson told just-food. “Passendale is eaten with bread in Belgium; it’s more traditional.”
The Passendale site will remain open and the spokesperson said Bongrain intends to keep the 120 workers employed there.
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By GlobalDataBongrain generates annual turnover of around EUR3.4bn (US$4.6bn) with some 62% of sales made outside France. The company is, for instance, the largest cheese producer in Germany, the spokesperson said.
She refused, however, to be drawn on whether Bongrain is ready for further acquisitions.
For its part, Campina said it wants to expand its hard cheese brands, including Campina Milner and Campina Volmer.
“With Campina Milner we have a very strong brand in a number of countries, which we will be gradually expanding,” said P.J. Hilarides, who heads Campina’s cheese and butter business.
The sale comes a week after Campina said it would close one of its four production sites in the Netherlands.
Dutch consumption of fresh dairy products has been declining in recent years and Campina said consumers are increasingly looking for more varied dairy products.
