Our history
Dairy Crest began life as the milk processing operation of the Milk Marketing Board, the public body set up in 1933 to control the production and distribution of milk in the UK. As you'll see from the significant events below, we've come a long way since then. Today, we're the UK's leading chilled dairy foods company, and one of the ten largest food companies in Britain.
Here are some of the highlights in our history.
1970
The Country Life butter brand
is launched by the English Butter Marketing Company Ltd.
1981
The Milk Marketing Board's milk processing operation is made into a separate division called Dairy Crest. We are the buyer of last resort for all surplus raw milk, ensuring that all milk producers in this country will have a buyer for their milk.
1983
We launch Clover, the dairy
spread.
1987
We become a limited company.
1991
We create a joint venture company with the French company Yoplait SA called Yoplait Dairy Crest. The company has exclusive distribution rights in the UK for Yoplait's branded fresh dairy products, including the children's favourite fromage frais brand, Petits Filous.
1993
We launch Frijj, the fresh flavoured milk drink.
1994
Deregulation of the UK milk market occurs. We are relieved of our role as the buyer of last resort for all surplus raw milk, and we are able to source only the raw milk necessary to meet our commercial needs.
1995
We acquire a leading cheese company, Mendip Foods Limited, and with it the Cathedral City brand. As a result, we become the leading supplier of mature cheddar in the UK.
March 1996
Yoplait Dairy Crest launches Petits Filous Frubes.
August 1996
We float on the London Stock Exchange as Dairy Crest Group plc.
1999
We become the leading producer of Stilton after acquiring Millway Foods Limited.
July 2000
We acquire the dairy and cheese businesses of Unigate plc (now Uniq plc), including the St Ivel Cream brand. This makes us the largest dairy company in the UK.
November 2000
We announce plans to invest £54 million to upgrade and enlarge our London and Severnside sites.
November 2001
We complete the new investment at our London site situated in Chadwell Heath. It has a processing capacity of 400 million litres of milk per annum.
November 2002
We
acquire the St Ivel spreads business, including leading brands
Utterly Butterly, St Ivel Gold, Vitalite and the UK licence for the
Carapelli band, together with a well-invested manufacturing site in
Kirkby, Liverpool.
December 2002
The new investment at our Severnside site in
Gloucestershire becomes fully operational. Overall, the site has a
processing capacity of 500 million litres of milk per annum.
August 2003
Recognising that a healthier lifestyle has become the goal for more and more people, we relaunch St Ivel Gold with a new low fat recipe (now just 35% fat and low in trans fatty acids).
July 2004
The first phase of the company's £50 million investment to upgrade and create a world leading cheddar creamery at Davidstow is completed. Production of market-leading mature cheddar brands, Cathedral City and Davidstow, starts in the new facility.
September 2004
Dairy Crest acquired the minority interests in the English Butter Marketing Company, giving the company 100% ownership of the Country Life brand.
May 2005
We acquired both Starcross Foods, a modern fresh milk processing facility in Derbyshire, and the dairy business and assets from the Midlands Co-operative Society.
October 2005
We acquired the London Foodservice business of Arla Foods (UK).
August 2006
Dairy Crest acquired the Express Dairies Depot operations and Arla's Liverpool and Nottingham dairies to create the UK's leading doorstep and middle ground business.
October 2006
To allow Dairy Crest to focus on developing its cheese brands it sold the majority of its retailer brand cheese operation to First Milk Limited for £61.9m.
January 2007
We acquired the St Hubert spreads business, including leading brands Cholegram, Le Fleurier and Omega 3 which are among the top selling spreads in France; and Vallé, the market leader in Italy. The acquisition includes a factory in Ludres and an office just outside Paris in Rungis.
February 2008
Dairy Crest Limited acquired the dairy distribution business of the East of England Co-operative Society Limited. The acquisition did not include the Society's production facility. The acquired business comprised 170 Doorstep and Foodservice rounds operating from ten depots. By making this acquisition Dairy Crest ensured the continuation of Doorstep and Foodservice delivery throughout East Anglia and Essex.
August 2008
To focus more on branded products and healthier variants Dairy Crest sells the creamery which manufactures Stilton and speciality cheeses at Hartington, Derbyshire, to Long Clawson Dairies Limited.
March 2009
Dairy Crest sells its 49% stake in Yoplait back to its parent company Yoplait SAS