Dairy Dialog podcast 157: Bubs, Ornua
Aussie Bubs hits US market
Australian company Bubs has launched into the US formula market.
The initial launch is with two products, Aussie Bubs Australian Goat milk-based Toddler Formula and Aussie Bubs 365-Day Grass Fed Cow Milk Formula.
The products are available on aussiebubs.com and amazon.com, and are due to be introduced on walmart.com soon.
A US subsidiary, Aussie Bubs, Inc., located in northern California, will spearhead marketing.
Bubs founder and CEO, Kristy Carr, said, “We are delighted to announce this important milestone in our continued implementation of our export diversification strategy, as we look for key global markets in which to expand our now award-winning clean label formulations.
“This also marks an important achievement for our Aussie farmers, as we embark on growing our export markets and taking Australia’s high-quality standards for purity and provenance into the homes of families across the globe. The acceptance within Walmart.com and making Aussie Bubs available through Amazon.com gives the business immediate scale access to the market.
"Reinforcing our quality provenance story, using our existing Bubs Formulations, the Aussie Bubs range, has met the US' highest standards of purity, with independent third-party verification from the Clean Label Project and the award of the Clean Label Purity Award. This evidence-based verification gives parents peace of mind in knowing that their toddler is obtaining pure nutrition free from heavy metals, pesticide residues, plasticizers and other chemicals and toxins."
Bubs executive chairman, Dennis Lin, said, "As Australia's largest producer of goat dairy products built on our unique vertically integrated business model and deep understanding of the specialty goat dairy supply chain, we are well placed to take advantage of continuing opportunities to expand our global footprint for the Bubs range.
"The launch of Aussie Bubs into the US market is a key next pillar of our global market diversification and expansion, providing continued momentum for our export sales growth contribution from South East Asia as we build on our existing business in Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Singapore."
Ornua acquires US cheese company Whitehall Specialties
Irish dairy cooperative, Ornua, has completed the acquisition of US cheese ingredients business, Whitehall Specialties Inc (WSI) for an undisclosed sum from Mason Wells, a private equity firm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The acquisition complements Ornua’s US Ingredients division, Ornua Ingredients North America (OINA), and is central to Ornua’s long-term growth strategy in the US cheese ingredients market.
OINA is a provider of customized functional cheese solutions for US food manufacturing and foodservice customers.
OINA said the acquisition increases its current position in the US cheese ingredients market, expanding its production footprint across six facilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. It will be important to Ornua’s long-term growth strategy, unlocking growth capacity and flexibility to support its existing and new customers’ growth plans.
Ornua CEO, John Jordan, said, “Ornua Ingredients North America is a core part of the Ornua business, delivering strong growth over the last ten years. By bringing together two market leaders, in complementary parts of the ingredients sector, we are creating a powerful partnership that builds a strong foundation for a long-term, sustainable future.
“We warmly welcome the Whitehall Specialties team and are looking forward to partnering with them as we look to our next stage of growth. Our combined business is centred around creating and maintaining long-term partnerships with our customers through innovation, best-in-class technical expertise and a true spirit of collaboration.”
Headquartered in Wisconsin, WSI provides functional cheese solutions to its food manufacturing and food service customers.
Outside of the cheese ingredients sector, Ornua is a supplier in the US consumer market with its flagship brand, Kerrygold. Kerrygold, Ireland’s only €1bn food brand, is the number two butter brand in the US, and sells 10m packs each week globally.
