Dutch dairy cooperative Royal FrieslandCampina has completed the acquisition of cheese specialist Zijerveld and its packaging unit Den Hollander Food from MYWO Food following approval of the transaction by the European Commission in April.
The acquisition is part of the co-operative's strategy to strengthen its presence in added value cheese products. It will allow FrieslandCampina Cheese to offer its customers a wider range of cheese products and services.
Zijerveld and Den Hollander will become a part of FrieslandCampina's Cheese, Butter & Milkpowder business.
Zijerveld, located in Bodegraven, the Netherlands, provides Dutch-type and foreign cheeses, and also offers its customers customized concepts and logistics services. The company owns ripening warehouses and packaging and logistics locations, and employs about 300 people.
Zijerveld, which has annual sales of €400m, operates in three commercial divisions: Retail, Traditional & Out of Home and International Markets.
Den Hollander Food, the packaging business unit of Zijerveld, owns 13 packaging lines and three grated cheese lines, and employs 140 people. The business, which is based in Lochem, the Netherlands, focuses on sliced cheeses in various re-closable packages, and its products are primarily targeted towards large European retailers and other cheese producers.