PepsiCo and Muller Terminate US Yogurt Venture
PepsiCo, the global beverages and snacks giant, and German dairy company Theo Muller Group have ceased production at their US joint venture yogurt plant in New York State, due to weak sales, with the loss of 66 jobs. PepsiCo and Muller have agreed to sell the dairy plant at Batavia to US farmers co-operative, Dairy Farmers of America, for an undisclosed price.
Mulller and PepsiCo formed their yoghurt joint venture – Muller Quaker Dairy – in 2012. Having launched the Muller Corner, Muller Greek Corner and Muller FrutUp brands, Muller Quaker Dairy opened a $200 million state-of-the-art yogurt manufacturing plant in 2013.
According to PepsiCo, the joint venture had been terminated “after determining that the business was not meeting expectations in a competitive and dynamic marketplace.’’ The US yogurt market is dominated by Chobani, General Mills and Danone.
