Yoplait yogurt products contributed to a first-quarter sales increase at Minneapolis-based General Mills. Net sales rose 8% to $4.37 billion in the quarter ended Aug. 25, with new businesses contributing 5 percentage points of the growth, according to the company.
A company press release stated: "New products contributing to net sales growth in the quarter included Yoplait Greek yogurt, Nature Valley Soft-baked Oatmeal Squares, Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch cereal, Pillsbury gluten-free refrigerated dough products, new Helper dinner mix varieties and, in Brazil, new Yoki Kit Facil dinner mixes. Established brands including Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereals, Progresso Light ready-to-serve soups, Yoplait Greek 100 calorie yogurt, Totino's frozen pizza and snacks, Larabar fruit and nut energy bars and, in China, Wanchai Ferry frozen dumplings and dim sum varieties, also contributed to net sales growth. "
Yoplait USA ranks 26 on the Dairy 100, Dairy Foods' annual ranking of the largest dairy processors based in the United States and Canada. It reported sales of $1.4 billion in the year ended May 27, 2012. U.S. net retail sales for the year ended May 26, 2013 were $1.3 billion. (Dowlnload the 2013 General Mills 10K report.) The company has four manufacturing plants in California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Tennessee.