Wyke Farms and the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) have announced the launch of their new joint business identity, The British Organic Dairy Company.
The two companies revealed earlier this year that they would extend their partnership, in a bid to more than treble their existing range of organic cheese.
The new business aims to provide a robust operation to produce ‘key organic dairy products’ for both the UK and global markets.
OMSCo managing director Richard Hampton said: “In July, we announced that we were forming a partnership with Wyke Farms. The partnership, within which we both have an equal share, provides us with a focus to grow organic dairy opportunities together.
“The launch of our business-to-business brand, The British Organic Dairy Company, is an exciting development and will enable us to facilitate the sales and marketing of our products under a joint brand identity.
“By working with Wyke Farms, the UK’s largest independent cheese maker, we can provide a unique proposition to distributors and retailers and take advantage of growing markets.”
The partnership announced in the summer has seen Wyke Farms source the milk requirements for organic cheese production from OMSCo, while OMSCo aims to increase its range of specialist organic cheese made by Wyke Farms for export markets.
OMSCo has experience in producing organic milk to specific export standards and already has EU, USDA and Chinese certification.
Managing director of Wyke Farms Richard Clothier said: “We know that global demand for organic dairy is growing, but we’re also aware of domestic opportunities.
“For instance, the UK organic cheese category is currently under performing relative to overall organic dairy, with just 1% market share within cheese, compared to 5% in liquid milk and 8.5% in yogurt.”
He attributes this shortfall to supply chain issues, such as poor-quality driving low repeat purchase, sporadic supply and a relatively costly supply chain.
However, he adds that through the partnership these issues will be mitigated. “Having a guaranteed supply of organic milk and mutual focus on growing the category will enable us to increase our stock levels and produce more cost-effective products.
“This will create a solid platform to grow sales of organic dairy products and enable us to reach the potential of a growing world market, now and post-Brexit.”
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