What Crickley Dairy does

Crickley Dairy Proprietary Ltd is a South African regional dairy and beverage manufacturer founded in 1984 by Ken Clark in the Eastern Cape. The company operates an 8,000 sq meter manufacturing facility in Queenstown and a distribution depot in Port Elizabeth, producing a single-brand portfolio spanning fresh milk, cream, cheese (Cheddar, White Cheddar, Gouda, Matured, Modified White Cheese, Slice on Slice), yoghurt (Medium Fat, Smooth, Double Cream), traditional and low-fat amasi, fruit nectar, an Oasis dairy-fruit blend, drinking yoghurt, and a multi-format fruited dairy snack range. All products carry SANHA Halaal certification and FSSC 22000 food safety accreditation, with a Proudly South African designation.

The company sells exclusively through retail channels — major national supermarket chains (SPAR, Food Lovers Market, Checkers, Shoprite, Makro, MassCash, USave), independent retailers, and fuel forecourt operators (Engen, FreshStop) — targeting South African households, with a particularly entrenched position in Eastern Cape families and traditional amasi consumers. Its technology is described as advanced milk processing with state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, supported by local sourcing from Eastern Cape dairy farmers. Pricing is at standard supermarket price points and is not publicly disclosed.

In March 2026, 100% of Crickley Dairy was acquired from Clark Holdings by BevCo (The Beverage Company Proprietary Ltd), the South African subsidiary of Indian multinational Varun Beverages Limited, for an enterprise value of ZAR 238 million (approximately Rs 131.47 crore). The acquisition marks Varun Beverages' entry into the South African dairy segment and provides Crickley with access to a larger distribution and category-management platform. Post-acquisition, the company has continued aggressive SKU expansion, including new fruited dairy snack flavours, dessert-inspired yoghurt variants, and a low-fat amasi line under the Philamasi sub-brand.

Name

Crickley Dairy

Legal name

Crickley Dairy Proprietary Ltd

Website

https://crickley.co.za/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Crickley Dairy is a South African regional dairy and beverage manufacturer founded in 1984, producing milk, cheese, yoghurt, amasi, juice blends, and dairy snacks for retail sale across the Eastern Cape. As of March 2026, it operates as a subsidiary of Varun Beverages following acquisition by BevCo.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Products

NAICS

Dairy Product Manufacturing (3115), Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Fluid Milk Manufacturing (311511)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Dairy-Based Beverages Manufacturing (Flavored Milk, Lassi, Drinkable Yogurt) (AFAKAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drinkable Yogurt & Kefir Beverages (Probiotic Shots, Smoothie-Style) (AFAHAIAC), Flavored & Sweetened Milk Drinks (Chocolate/Strawberry, Malted Milk) (AFAHAIAA), Fermented Drinkable Dairy (Lassi, Ayran, Doogh, Chaas/Buttermilk Drinks) (AFAHAIAB)

Keywords

• Dairy products manufacturing
• Fresh milk processing
• Cheese production
• Yoghurt and amasi
• Dairy beverage blends

Headquarters

HQ city

Queenstown

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Dairy Product Sales: Crickley Dairy generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of dairy products including milk, cream, cheese, yoghurt, amasi, juice, dairy blends, drinking yoghurt, and dairy snacks to retail customers across South Africa

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Crickley Dairy manufactures and distributes a wide range of branded dairy and dairy-based beverage products including fresh milk, cream, cheese (Cheddar, White Cheddar, Gouda, Matured, Slice on Slice, Modified White), yoghurt (Medium Fat, Smooth, Double Cream), traditional and low-fat amasi, nectar juices, Oasis dairy fruit drinks, drinking yoghurt, and fruited dairy snacks. Products are Halaal certified by SANHA and carry FSSC 22000 food safety certification, sold through major supermarket chains and independent retailers across South Africa.

Product overview

Crickley Dairy is a South African dairy company founded in 1984, headquartered in the Eastern Cape region with manufacturing facilities in Queenstown. The company operates as a single-brand portfolio offering a comprehensive range of dairy products across milk, cream, cheese, yoghurt, amasi, juice/nectar beverages, and dairy snacks. The product portfolio is unified under the Crickley brand umbrella, with recent additions including low-fat variants and new product formats to diversify beyond traditional dairy. All products are Halaal certified by SANHA and carry FSSC food safety certification. The company was acquired by Varun Beverages in 2026 through its South African subsidiary BevCo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Philamasi: Low fat amasi product line launched to meet health-conscious consumer demand while maintaining traditional flavor

Products and services

• Full Cream Fresh Milk Farm-fresh whole milk processed for superior quality, rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Available in 2L packaging with Halaal certification. Intended for South African household consumers purchasing through retail channels.
• Cream Luxurious rich cream with smooth and fresh taste experience, available in 250ml packaging. Marketed as a versatile kitchen ingredient for South African households.
• Cheese Range (Cheddar, White Cheddar, Gouda, Matured) Premium cheese selection sourced from local dairy farmers in the Eastern Cape, featuring Cheddar, White Cheddar, Gouda, and Matured cheese varieties. Available in 240g, 440g, and 840g packaging.
• Yoghurt Range (Medium Fat, Smooth, Double Cream) Range of yoghurts including Medium Fat Yoghurt (175g, 500g, 1kg), Smooth Yoghurt (1kg), and Double Cream Yoghurt (1kg) in various dessert-inspired and traditional flavours. Marketed as a nourishing treat with creamy richness and fruity freshness.
• Amasi (Traditional and Low Fat Philamasi) Traditional fermented milk product deeply rooted in Eastern Cape households for generations. Also available in Philamasi Low Fat variant with probiotics, protein, and calcium for health-conscious consumers.
• Nectar Juice Range Nectar fruit juice range including Orange, Pineapple, Peach, Guava, Berry, and Tropical flavours. Available in 350ml and 2L packaging for household consumers.
• Oasis Dairy Fruit Drink Silky smooth dairy fruit beverage combining dairy goodness with fruit flavours. Available in Orange, Peach, Pineapple, and Tropical variants in 350ml, 1L, and 2L sizes for South African households.
• Drinking Yoghurt On-the-go drinking yoghurt snack in four flavours (Strawberry, Hazelnut, Chocolate, Passion Fruit) available in 350ml and 1.5L sizes. Marketed as nourishing and creamy nutrition for busy lifestyles.
• Slice on Slice Cheese Processed cheese slices with a balance of sharpness and creaminess. Available in 40 slices and 80 slices packaging. Ideal for burgers, crackers, and sandwiches for household consumers.
• Dairy Snack (Fruited) Fruited dairy snack in eight flavours including Strawberry, Vanilla, Peach and Apricot, Passion Fruit, Pineapple, Guava, Tropical, and Apple and Banana. Available in 150g, 500g, and 1kg packaging. Positioned as convenient on-the-go nutrition for families, busy professionals, and elderly consumers.
• Modified White Cheese Soft, rich, and flavoursome cheese suitable for salads, quiches, pizzas, and entertaining. Available in 745g packaging for South African household consumers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Varun Beverages (BevCo/The Beverage Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Varun Beverages' South African subsidiary BevCo acquired 100% equity stake in Crickley Dairy Proprietary Ltd from Clark Holdings Proprietary Ltd for enterprise value of ZAR 238 million (approximately Rs 131.47 crore). This acquisition represents Varun Beverages' expansion into dairy segment through its regional subsidiary, marking entry into value-added dairy and juice-based drinks category.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Danone Southern Africa: Danone operates globally in dairy, plant-based and water categories, with yoghurt and dairy beverages directly overlapping Crickley's drinking yoghurt, yoghurt and dairy snack lines. Functions as a broad multinational incumbent in Crickley's product space.
• Nestlé South Africa: Nestlé SA produces a broad portfolio including dairy (Nido, Klim), flavoured milk and beverages, ice cream and confectionery. As a multinational incumbent, it competes with Crickley across dairy beverages and snacks while also operating in many non-dairy categories.

Emerging players

• Darling Romery: Darling Romery is a South African manufacturer of dairy products including flavoured milk, maas/amasi, and yoghurt. Comparable to Crickley's traditional Amasi, drinking yoghurt and dairy snack offerings, though smaller in scale.

Direct peers

• Woodlands Dairy: Woodlands Dairy produces the First Choice and Daisy brands of UHT milk, flavoured milk, butter, cream and yoghurt from its facility in the Eastern Cape. It is one of Crickley's closest direct competitors, operating in the same province and overlapping in fluid milk, dairy beverages and dairy snacks.
• Clover Industries: Clover is South Africa's largest dairy processor, producing milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter and fruit juices under brands like Clover, Tropika and Super M. It is Crickley's primary national direct competitor across essentially all dairy categories Crickley operates in.
• Parmalat South Africa (Lactalis): Part of global dairy major Lactalis, Parmalat SA produces milk, flavoured milk, cheese, butter and yoghurt under brands such as Parmalat, Everfresh and Bonnita. Directly comparable to Crickley across fluid milk, cheese and dairy beverages.
• Lancewood Holdings: Lancewood is a leading South African manufacturer of cheese, yoghurt and dairy desserts. Directly comparable to Crickley's cheese (Cheddar, Gouda, modified white cheese) and yoghurt product lines.

Regional players

• Liqui-Fruit (Pioneer Foods / PepsiCo): Liqui-Fruit is a leading South African fruit juice and nectar brand. Comparable to Crickley's Juice/Nectar and Oasis dairy blend lines in South African retail channels, particularly given the PepsiCo relationship via VBL.
• Fair Cape Dairies: Fair Cape Dairies is a Western Cape-based dairy processor producing milk, cream, yoghurt and fruit juice under the Fair Cape brand. Comparable regional dairy player with similar product mix, but focused on the Western Cape rather than Eastern Cape.

Others

• Twizza: Twizza is a South African beverage company (soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks) also acquired by Varun Beverages' BevCo. Sibling portfolio company under common ownership with overlapping distribution and retail channels, relevant as both potential competitor and distribution synergist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/crickleydairy

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crickley Dairy