Ornua acquires Cheese business doubling its footprint in the US
Ornua Ingredients North America (OINA) facility in Hilbert Wisconsin.
Dairy giant Ornua has acquired a US cheese ingredients business that will double the cooperative's footprint in the country.
The company behind the flagship Kerrygold brand has purchased Whitehall Specialties Inc (WSI) for an undisclosed sum from Mason Wells, a private equity firm based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This acquisition complements Ornua’s US Ingredients division, Ornua Ingredients North America (OINA) and is part of the company's long-term growth strategy in the US cheese ingredients market.
OINA provides customised cheese products for US food manufacturing and foodservice customers. Ornua said the acquisition will significantly increase OINA’s current position in the cheese ingredients market expanding its production footprint across six facilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
"It will be an important enabler of Ornua’s long-term growth strategy, unlocking significant growth capacity and flexibility to support its existing and new customers’ ambitious growth plans," Ornua said in a statement.
Commenting on the announcement, 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.”
