Meiji says the move will help Meiji Co., Ltd. expand its dairy sales in China.
The new company was founded via Meiji China Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Meiji Co., Ltd. that manages the latter’s Chinese businesses.
As part of its 2026 Vision, Meiji Group said it aims to increase its value over the long term. A key component of this vision is to establish a foundation for business growth in overseas markets. The 2020 Medium-Term Business Plan, which provides a roadmap for achieving this goal, identifies China as the most important overseas market.
Meiji Group is developing drinking milk and yogurt, ice cream, and confectionery businesses in China, and said these businesses are performing well. The drinking milk and yogurt business in particular has maintained steady growth. This is partly due to increased health-consciousness in China. Another factor is that the Chinese milk market has expanded thanks to the popularity of chilled milk and increased demand for safety.
The new company will enable the group to strengthen its production infrastructure and to continue channeling its technology and expertise into the delivery of safe dairy products to a wide range of customers. The new company will also help the group achieve 2026 Vision by providing a foundation for business growth in an overseas market.
Meiji Dairies (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. is scheduled to start production in the second half of FY March 2023.