Ehrmann buys Trewithen Dairy
Image: Trewithen Dairy
Ehrmann, a German dairy company, is expanding into the UK further with the acquisition of Trewithen Dairy. The move – the latest in Ehrmann’s over 100-year history – sees two family-owned businesses come together to bring a new portfolio of tasty dairy products to UK consumers, the companies say.
Ehrmann will expand Trewithen’s facilities to open a state-of-the-art UK production plant at the site in Glynn Valley, Cornwall. Expected to open in 2026, Ehrmann pudding products distributed in the UK will be produced at the facility; expected to account for 15% of Ehrmann’s global sales each year.
The Cornish dairy plant will start producing the full range of Ehrmann dessert products, such as High Protein and Grand Dessert. Ehrmann dairy products are sold in over 75 countries around the world, from seven international production sites and nine international sales offices; generating over 1.1 billion euros each year. In addition to its long term commitment to grow sales of Trewithen’s portfolio of branded and own-label dairy products, Ehrmann will also make a significant £20 million investment in the dairy’s processing capacity and capabilities.
Christian Ehrmann, chairman of Ehrmann SE. explains, “Ehrmann has enjoyed success in the UK over the last two years working with major supermarket chains to bring new dairy tastes to consumers. The acquisition is highly significant as it opens up local UK production; enabling us to reduce the carbon footprint and guarantee the freshness of our products. Choosing Trewithen’s impressively high-quality Cornish milk production, we’re delighted to bring German product innovation together with the very best of British milk.”
Ehrmann’s acquisition of Trewithen will bring together the leadership teams of both family businesses. Both are long established, well respected, family-run companies that share a passion for producing a wide range of high quality dairy products which have at their heart naturalness, provenance and a commitment to sustainability. Trewithen Dairy at Greymare Farm in the Glynn Valley has been owned by the Clarke family since 1976. The dairy farmers switched to crafting dairy products there in 1994, sourcing milk, cream and, more recently, butter and yogurt from local cows to sell across the UK.
The acquisition will secure the jobs of over 260 people currently working at Trewithen Dairy. In addition, the expansion of the production plant will give dairy farmers in the region a major, stable purchaser for Cornwall’s milk supply, paying a competitive milk price based upon a guaranteed premium.
Paul Berne, CEO of Trewithen Dairy, adds, “We’re delighted that we’re able to expand our offering, create more jobs in the local economy, and further bring the joy of quality Cornish produce to more tastebuds across the UK. The new products are already proven in other markets, so it’s great to be producing them with excellent British milk to be enjoyed by more British tastebuds.”
Since 2022 Ehrmann has been successfully selling a range of products in the UK through major supermarkets Aldi, Morrisons, Iceland and more recently, COOP. As Ehrmann’s UK-produced range expands, the dairy foods producer will increase the distribution of its products in the UK.