PepsiCo and Müller JV yogurts to enter booming US market

The products – Müller Corner, Müller Greek Corner and Müller FrutUp – are set to be launched in mid-July 2012, marking the first entry by both companies into the US dairy market.

Through the launch, Müller Quaker Dairy hopes to satisfy the increasing demand for value-added dairy products in the US.

Spurred by organic and functional products, the US yogurt sector recorded sales of $5.2bn for the year ending 14 May 2012 - an increase of around 7% on the previous year.

Growth in the sector is expected to continue, driven in part by the popularity of Greek yogurt.

Strong growth prospects ​

“As we’ve seen through the success of our dairy business in other parts of the world, this is a category with strong growth prospects,”​ said PepsiCo chief scientific officer of global research and development, Mehmood Khan.

In 2011, PepsiCo acquired Russia’s largest dairy company Wimm-Bill-Dann and has been part of a joint venture with Almarai, Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy company since 2009.

“​Müller​ makes some of Europe’s most delicious and unique dairy products, and there is no better partner PepsiCo could have in order to meet historic US consumer demand for premium yogurt. With the name recognition and trust Quaker provides, together, we will be able to offer US consumers an amazing range of products that taste delicious and are unlike anything on the market currently.”​

Stefan Müller, a member of the Theo Müller Group board, added: “Our partnership with PepsiCo is a great expansion of our business, and we are excited to introduce new consumers to the wide variety of deliciously enjoyable yogurts that have made ​Müller​ a household name throughout Europe.”​

Manufacturing plant​

On top of the launch, Müller Quaker Dairy has announced plans to build a new, state-of-the-art yogurt manufacturing plant in Batavia, New York.

The plant, which is set to be completed by 2013, is expected to create more than 180 jobs in the area.