Though some dairies saw sales fall last year, others reported increases. As they looked at the long-term prospects of the industry, businesses opened their checkbooks to acquire companies and to expand their processing capabilities.
Just as Dairy Foods was wrapping up its research into the 100 largest dairy processors in North America, the French dairy giant Danone announced it was buying Colorado-based WhiteWave Foods, a processor of organic dairy and plant-based beverages. The combined 2015 revenues of the two companies are $5.4 billion and that would push Danone North America from No. 15 to No. 5, ahead of such American-based dairy stalwarts as Schreiber, Land O’Lakes and Dairy Farmers of America. For this year’s Dairy 100, we are listing Danone North America (consisting of Dannon, Activia, Oikos, Stonyfield and other brands) and WhiteWave separately.
For its part, No. 14 WhiteWave in 2015 played the role of the acquirer quite nicely. In May 2015, it bought EIEIO Inc. (the company that owns the Magicow brand, among others). Then in August of that year it acquired Sequel Naturals Ltd., and 29 days later WhiteWave bought Wallaby Yogurt Co.