Milk processing giant gains U.S. ingredient supplier

Montreal, Que. – Agropur, Canada’s largest dairy co-operative, has acquired La Crosse, Wis.-based Main Street Ingredients for an undisclosed amount.

Main Street is a leading producer of food ingredients for the dairy and nutritional sectors for applications such as ice cream, frozen desserts, cheese, bakery, nutritional beverages and confectionery. The U.S. company is also known for its functional stabilizer systems, protein expertise, private-label nutritional systems and custom-formulated blends.

According to Longueuil, Que.-based Agropur, Main Street Ingredients will continue to operate under its own name and under current president Bill Schmitz.

“This most recent acquisition represents a great fit with our current operations and will allow us to keep building a strong foundation for continued growth,” says Pierre Claprood, CEO of Agropur.

With annual sales of approximately $3.4 billion, Agropur has 3,500 co-op members, 27 processing plants and more than 5,600 employees in Canada, the U.S. and Argentina. It is Canada’s leading dairy producer, processing 6.8 billion pounds of milk annually. Agropur’s milk, cheese and yogurt brands include Natrel, Sealtest, Island Farms, Québon, Yoplait, Oka, Shroeder and La Lacteo.