2021 Dairy 100
Top 100 Dairy Companies
Dairy Foods’ 28th annual report identifies the largest dairy processors in North America.
Read the articleHeadquarters States of the Dairy 100
Take a look at our map of where the processors in this years Dairy 100 are located.
Headquarters States of the Dairy 100
Click on a blue state to see the processors that are headquartered there.
The Dairy 100 List
Note: Code to Type (ownership): C=Cooperative; Pr=Privately held company; Pu=Publicly traded company; An asterisk on a sales figure denotes a Dairy Foods estimate.
1. Nestlé, Zone Americas
Arlington, VA (Nestlé USA); North York, Ontario (Nestlé Canada); Mexico City, Mexico (Nestlé Mexico)
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Laurent Freixe, CEO, Zone Americas
Type: Pu
Parent Company: Nestlé, Vevey, Switzerland
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $10,990.00*
Products: Packaged ice cream, ice cream bars, frozen fruit bars, frozen snacks, frozen dairy desserts, sorbet, frozen yogurt, milk-based beverages, coffee creamers.
Note: Zone Americas includes some operations outside of North America.
2. Saputo Inc.
Montreal, Québec
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Lino A. Saputo, Jr., chair and CEO
Type: Pu
Fiscal Year End: 3/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $10,660.0
Products: Cheeses, including mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, Romano, Asiago, ricotta, feta, Havarti, Fontinella, Gorgonzola, cheddar, Edam, colby, colby jack, fontina, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, Muenster, Lorraine, fresh frozen mozzarella, string cheese, snack sticks, goat cheese, blue cheese, brie, Camembert, farmers cheese, fresh curd, processed cheeses. Other dairy products: fluid milk, value-added milk, specialty beverages, cream, flavored cream, butter, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, buttermilk, ice cream mixes, half & half, whipping cream, creamers, aerosol whipped topping, frappe mixes, milk powder, whey powder, whey protein concentrates, lactose, dairy ingredient blends, demineralized whey powder, galacto-oligosaccharides, dairy alternatives, spray oil.
Note: Zone Americas includes some operations outside of North America.
3. Dairy Farmers of America Inc.
Kansas City, KS
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Rick Smith, president and CEO
Type: C
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $8,947.0
Products: Milk, chocolate milk, condensed milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream, buttermilk, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, butter, cheese (American-style, Gouda, hard Italian, artisanal Hispanic, longhorn cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack and specialty cheese), ice cream, ice cream mixes, frozen novelties, sherbet, sorbet, ingredients, fruit juices and tea, fruit punch.
4. Danone North America
White Plains, NY, and Broomfield, CO
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Shane Grant, CEO
Type: Pu
Parent Company: Danone S.A., Paris, France
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $6,195.0*
Products: Yogurt, Greek yogurt, drinkable yogurt, smoothies, frozen yogurt, coffee creamers, dairy alternatives, organic foods and beverages, nutritionals.
5. Agropur
Saint-Hubert, Québec
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Emile Cordeau, CEO
Type: C
Fiscal Year End: 10/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $5,742.0
Products: Cheeses, butter, milk, specialty milk, yogurt, cream, ice cream, dairy ingredients (including permeate, whey, skim milk powder).
Note: Sales figure converted from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars using 2020 average exchange rate from IRS.
6. Kraft Heinz Co.
Chicago, IL and Pittsburgh, PA
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Miguel Patricio, CEO
Type: Pu
Fiscal Year End: 12/26
2020 Sales (in millions): $5,237.0
Products: Natural cheese, processed cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese blends.
Note: Kraft Heinz sold its natural cheese business to Lactalis American Group, but because the transaction didn't close until 2021, we included the 2020 natural cheese sales in Kraft Heinz's ranking.
7. Schreiber Foods Inc.
Green Bay, WI
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Ron Dunford, president and CEO
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 10/1
2020 Sales (in millions): $5,000.0
Products: Cheese, cream cheese, blends, yogurt, yogurt drinks, dairy desserts, specialty cheeses.
8. Conagra Brands
Chicago, IL
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Sean Connolly, president and CEO
Type: Pu
Fiscal Year End: 5/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $4,633.0*
Products: Whipped topping, margarine and spreads, pudding, dry cocoa, creamy dressings.
Note: Sales include Refrigerated and Frozen segment, which also takes in some nondairy products. Fiscal year ending is in 2021.
9. Unilever, North American operations
Englewood Cliffs, NJ
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Fabian Garcia, president, North America
Type: Pu
Parent Company: Unilever, London and Rotterdam, Netherlands
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $4,319.0*
Products: Ice cream, gelato, frozen novelties, tea-based beverages.
Note: Estimated sales include the company's Food and Refreshment segment, which take in some nondairy sales.
10 (tie). Land O'Lakes Inc.
Arden Hills, MN
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Beth Ford, president and CEO
Type: C
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $4,000.0*
Products: Cheese, butter, ingredients, pudding.
10 (tie). California Dairies Inc.
Visalia, CA
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Brad Anderson, president and CEO
Type: C
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $4,000.0*
Products: Butter, fluid milk, milk powders, nutritional powders, condensed milk.
12. Grupo LALA
Mexico City, Mexico
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Arquimedes Celis, CEO
Type: Pu
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,766.0
Products: Milk, functional dairy products, yogurt, drinkable yogurt, crema, cottage cheese, Mexican cheeses, processed cheese, fine cheeses, plant-based beverages, juices/beverages.
Note: Sales figure converted from Mexican pesos to U.S. dollars using 2020 average exchange rate from IRS.
13. The Kroger Co.
Cincinnati, OH
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Erin Sharp, group vice president, manufacturing
Type: Pu
Fiscal Year End: 1/30
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,653.0*
Products: Milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, sour cream, dips, organic milk, juices, drinks, water, ice cream, novelties, tea, whipping cream, process cheese, natural cheese.
14. Leprino Foods Co.
Denver, CO
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: James Leprino, chairman
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 10/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,570.0*
Products: Mozzarella/pizza cheese, reduced-fat Monterey Jack, provolone, reduced-fat cheddar, cheese blends, whey protein, sweet whey, lactose, micellar casein concentrate.
15. Prairie Farms Dairy Inc.
Edwardsville, IL
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Edward L. Mullins, CEO and executive vice president
Type: C
Fiscal Year End: 9/1
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,400.0
Products: Milk, eggnog, buttermilk, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, butter, ice cream, novelties, sherbet, sorbet, juice, fruit punch, iced tea, coffee beverages, creamers, cheese (Swiss, Maasdam, baby Swiss, grass-fed baby Swiss, blue, Gorgonzola, cream cheese, Neufchatel, Gouda, grass-fed Gouda, cold-blended club cheeses, processed cheeses, enzyme-modified cheeses), cheese analogs, ingredients.
16. Great Lakes Cheese Co.
Hiram, OH
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Dan Zagzebski, president and CEO
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,366.0*
Products: Natural cheese (cheddar, Swiss, colby, mozzarella, Muenster, provolone, pepper jack, blue, feta, Gorgonzola, goat), specialty cheeses, processed cheese, whey products.
17. General Mills Inc.
Minneapolis, MN
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Jeffrey Harmening, president and CEO
Type: Pu
Fiscal Year End: 5/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,258.0
Products: Yogurt, superpremium ice cream.
Note: Reported sales include yogurt and superpremium ice cream.
18. Lactalis Group, North American operations
Buffalo, NY and Toronto, Ontario, Canada
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Jean-luc Bruandet, president and CEO, Lactalis American Group; Mark Taylor, president and CEO, Lactalis Canada
Type: Pr
Parent Company: Lactalis Group, Laval, France
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,190.0*
Products: Milk, buttermilk, cream, ice cream mix, sour cream, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, butter, eggnog, natural cheese, snack cheese, dairy ingredients, soy beverages, juice, fruit drinks.
19. Glanbia Nutritionals, U.S.
Chicago, IL
DAIRY EXECUTIVE:Brian Phelan, CEO
Type: Pu
Parent Company: Glanbia PLC, Kilkenny, Ireland
Fiscal Year End: 1/2
2020 Sales (in millions): $3,079.0
Products: Cheese (barrels and blocks), conventional and organic cheeses (cheddar, colby, colby jack, pepper jack, Monterey Jack, Muenster, asadero, queso, and quesadilla), whey products.
Note: Sales converted from euros to U.S. dollars using 2020 average exchange rate from IRS. Fiscal year end was in 2021.
20. Hilmar Cheese Co.
Hilmar, CA
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: David Ahlem, president and CEO
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $2,754.0*
Products: Natural-style cheeses (cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, colby, colby jack), TruSmoke wood-smoked natural cheeses, whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate, whey protein hydrolysate, lactose.
21. HP Hood LLC
Lynnfield, MA
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: John A. Kaneb, president, chairman and CEO
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $2,700.0
Products: Milk, eggnog, buttermilk, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, Greek yogurt, ice cream, sherbet, sorbet, novelties, juice, fruit punch, other nondairy beverages.
22. Darigold Inc.
Seattle, WA
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Stan Ryan, president and CEO
Type: C
Fiscal Year End: 3/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $2,411.0*
Products: Milk/flavored milk, ultrafiltered milk, eggnog, buttermilk, whipping and heavy cream, half & half, sports recovery drinks, dairy creamer, ice cream mixes, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, pepper jack cheese, milk powders, WPC, milk protein concentrate, condensed products, bulk cream, bulk butter, bulk cheese.
Note: Fiscal year end is in 2021.
23. Publix Super Markets
Lakeland, FL
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Mike Smith, senior vice president, industrial operations
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 12/26
2020 Sales (in millions): $2,243.0
Products: Milk, ice cream, frozen yogurt, cultured products, juice, water, carbonated soft drinks, other beverages.
24. H-E-B
San Antonio, TX
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Josh Malin, director of Manufacturing
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $1,847.0*
Products:Milk, eggnog, ice cream, novelties, yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream.
25. Grassland Dairy Products Inc.
Greenwood, WI
DAIRY EXECUTIVE: Leon Gregorich, CEO
Type: Pr
Fiscal Year End: 12/31
2020 Sales (in millions): $1,815.0*
Products: Butter (European-style, grass-fed), butter oil, butter blends, anhydrous milkfat, condensed buttermilk, buttermilk powder, nonfat dry milk, milk permeate powder, milk protein concentrate (56, 70, 85), milk protein isolate (90), condensed skim milk, UF milk, cream.