Arla Foods
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersUtrecht, Netherlands
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Arla Foods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Arla Foods
- Legal name
- Arla Foods amba
- Website
- https://arla.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Arla Foods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Dairy Products
- NAICS
- Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Cheese Manufacturing (311513), Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Flavored Milk & Dairy Drinkables (Chocolate, Strawberry, RTD) (AFAFAEAB)
Keywords
Where Arla Foods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Utrecht
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices9 records
Markets served
Arla Foods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consumer Dairy Products: Sale of branded consumer dairy products including milk, yogurt, cheese, and butter through retail channels. Revenue from Arla®, Lurpak®, Castello® and other consumer brands sold in supermarkets.
- B2B Ingredients & Industrial Sales: Supply of dairy ingredients to food manufacturers and industrial customers. Advanced whey proteins and dairy ingredients for food production.
- Professional/Private Label: Production under licensed brands including Starbucks® chilled coffee and branded foodservice products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer packaged dairy products |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Arla Foods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Arla Foods is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative that produces, processes, and markets a broad range of dairy products including fresh milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter, and advanced whey protein ingredients. The company sells through iconic consumer brands (Arla, Lurpak, Castello, Skyr, LactoFREE, Apetina, Cultura) across European retail, while also supplying dairy ingredients and foodservice products to industrial customers.
Product overview
Arla Foods is a dairy cooperative offering a diverse portfolio of dairy products under multiple brands. The core offerings include fresh milk, yoghurt, and skyr, supported by sub-brands such as Arla Bio (organic products), Arla LactoFREE (lactose-free range), Arla Skyr (high-protein Icelandic-style yoghurt), Arla Cultura (kefir), and Arla Apetina (white cheese). International brands within the portfolio include Lurpak (butter), Castello (specialty cheese), and Melkunie (Dutch dairy). The company also serves professional markets through Arla Pro. Following the June 2026 merger with DMK Group, the combined entity unites approximately 11,200 farmers and 28,800 employees under the Arla name.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Arla Bio: Organic dairy product line including organic milk, yoghurt, and dairy products.
- Arla LactoFREE
- Arla Skyr
- Arla Cultura
- Arla Apetina
- Lurpak
- Castello
- Melkunie
- MILRAM
- Humana
- Oldenburger
- Uniekaas
- Puck
- Starbucks (chilled coffee)
- Arla Pro
Products and services
- Arla Bio (Biologisch) Organic dairy product line including organic milk, yoghurt, skyr, and kefir sourced from organic farms that do not use chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Targeted at consumers seeking certified organic dairy.
- Arla LactoFREE Lactose-free dairy products including yoghurt, milk drinks, crème fraîche, and quark for consumers with lactose intolerance.
- Arla Skyr High-protein Icelandic-style yoghurt available in flavors including naturel, vanilla, strawberry, peach passion fruit, coconut, and forest fruits, in 450g and 1kg sizes. Targeted at consumers seeking high-protein functional dairy.
- Arla Cultura Kefir dairy drink offering a tangy, refreshing taste.
- Arla Apetina White cheese products including cheese cubes in oil, cheese blocks, and reduced-fat variants, used in salads and cooking.
- Arla Melk (Fresh Milk) Fresh milk products available in various fat content levels including whole milk, semi-skimmed milk, and lactose-free variants.
- Arla Yoghurt Yoghurt products including Greek-style yoghurt, drinking yoghurt, and various flavored varieties.
- Lurpak Premium butter and butter spreads brand known internationally for its quality butter products.
- Castello Cheese brand offering various specialty cheeses.
- Melkunie Dutch dairy brand within the Arla portfolio.
- Arla Pro Professional dairy products and brand line for foodservice and professional cooking applications (restaurants, hotels, cafés).
- Starbucks Chilled Coffee (Licensed) Licensed chilled coffee product line produced and distributed under the Starbucks brand.
- Advanced Whey Protein Ingredients World-leading advanced whey protein ingredients supplied to food manufacturers and industrial customers for use in food production.
Quantifiable outcome
- Swedish cheese self-sufficiency increased from 37% to 47%
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Arla Foods
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Arla Foods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Arla Foods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- DMK GroupcoreOfficial merger between Arla Foods and DMK Group forming Europe's leading dairy cooperative. The combined entity includes DMK eG and DOC Kaas U.A. cooperatives. Combined revenue exceeds €20 billion with 19.4 billion kg annual milk pool. Jan Toft Nørgaard serves as Chairman, Peder Tuborgh as CEO, and Ingo Müller as CINTO leading integration.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Arla Foods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative and one of the world's largest dairy processors, with a comparable farmer-owned structure, broad branded and B2B ingredients portfolio, and similar European geographic footprint to Arla.
- Lactalis: France-based privately held dairy group, the world's largest dairy company by revenue, with overlapping cheese, butter, and ingredient portfolios and a comparable multi-brand, multi-region strategy to Arla.
- Müller: Germany/UK-headquartered dairy processor with strong positions in yogurt, milk drinks, and desserts; competes directly with Arla in the UK retail channel alongside Tesco and other major grocers.
- Saputo: Canadian-headquartered global dairy processor with significant European cheese operations; comparable business mix of branded consumer dairy and B2B ingredients across multiple continents.
- Savencia Fromage & Dairy: France-based specialty cheese and dairy group with strong branded and B2B cheese positions across Europe; directly comparable to Arla's Castello, Apetina, and Uniekaas cheese portfolio.
- Bel Group: French branded cheese and healthy snack company (Laughing Cow, Babybel, Kiri); a comparable branded cheese player with overlapping European retail customers and similar focus on portioned and value-added cheese.
- Schreiber Foods: Privately held US-based dairy leader in cheese, yogurt, and B2B ingredient supply with growing global presence; comparable private-cooperative-style ownership and similar B2B/private-label emphasis.
Broad incumbents
- Danone: Global dairy and plant-based food major with significant European dairy, yogurt, and specialty nutrition businesses; competes with Arla across yogurt, lactose-free, and infant/nutrition categories at a broader portfolio scale.
- Nestlé: Swiss global food and beverage conglomerate with a large dairy, nutrition, and ingredients division; overlaps with Arla in dairy ingredients, milk-based beverages, and nutrition products, but at a much broader portfolio scale.
Emerging players
- Yili Group: China's largest dairy processor and a global top-five player, expanding into Europe and whey-based nutrition ingredients; an emerging global dairy peer relevant to Arla's whey protein and ingredient ambitions.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Arla Foods social profiles
Digital presenceArla Foods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Arla Foods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Arla Foods subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Arla Foods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Arla Foods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Arla Foods
What does Arla Foods do?
Arla Foods is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative that produces, processes, and markets a broad range of dairy products including fresh milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter, and advanced whey protein ingredients. The company sells through iconic consumer brands (Arla, Lurpak, Castello, Skyr, LactoFREE, Apetina, Cultura) across European retail, while also supplying dairy ingredients and foodservice products to industrial customers.
Is Arla Foods a public or private company?
Arla Foods is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Arla Foods founded?
Arla Foods was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Arla Foods based?
Arla Foods is headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Arla Foods make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Consumer Dairy Products are the primary driver. The others are B2B Ingredients & Industrial Sales and professional/Private Label.
Who are Arla Foods's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are FrieslandCampina, Lactalis, Müller, Saputo, Savencia Fromage & Dairy, Bel Group and Schreiber Foods. Broad incumbents are Danone and Nestlé. Yili Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does Arla Foods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Arla Foods.
What industry is Arla Foods in?
Arla Foods's product category is Dairy Products. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAFAEAB, Flavored Milk & Dairy Drinkables (Chocolate, Strawberry, RTD). Its NAICS code is 31151 and its SIC code is 2020.