What BV Dairy does

BV Dairy (legal entity: Blackmore Vale Farm Cream Ltd) is a UK-based specialist chilled dairy producer founded in 1958 and headquartered at a purpose-built facility in Shaftesbury, Dorset. Since early 2024 it has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of First Milk, a regenerative farmer-owned cooperative. The company manufactures and supplies premium dairy ingredients — soft cheese (including Fromage Frais and Quarg), a full yogurt range (Greek Style, Full Fat, Low Fat, Very Low Fat), cultured creams (soured cream, crème fraîche, buttermilk), clotted cream, and mascarpone — to UK food manufacturers, food service chains, and contract caterers. Its core technical capabilities include an Ultra Filtration process for soft cheeses with adjustable fat levels (30%, 20%, 12%, 4%) and a Filmatic Bottling Line for cultured milk drinks and drinking yogurts, which is also offered as a contract manufacturing service with bespoke product development support.

The business operates a B2B go-to-market via direct sales with a £500 minimum order for food service accounts, supported by an own-vehicle UK-wide distribution fleet from an on-site 1,000-pallet Chillstore at 3°C. Revenue is generated primarily through unit-priced sales of dairy ingredients to enterprise customers (food manufacturers, food service chains, contract caterers) and through professional-services-style contract manufacturing engagements where BV Dairy produces and packages retail-ready dairy products for third-party brands. The company holds BRCGS AA+, ISO 9001, ISO 27001, and ISO 45001 certifications, M&S A-list approved supplier status, and is part of First Milk's B Corp certification (2026). Sustainability infrastructure includes an on-site anaerobic digester generating 20–30% of site power and a roof-mounted solar array producing 3,500 kWh daily.

Operationally, BV Dairy is the largest employer in Shaftesbury town and maintains a presence across four customer segments — food manufacturers, food service, contract manufacturing, and wholesale partners — with a product portfolio that earned 6 Gold and 1 Bronze medals at the 2025 British and Irish Cheese Awards, including a medal for every product entered. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

BV Dairy

Legal name

Blackmore Vale Farm Cream Ltd

Website

https://bvdairy.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BV Dairy is a UK specialist chilled dairy producer (founded 1958, Shaftesbury, Dorset), now a subsidiary of First Milk cooperative, supplying premium soft cheese, yogurt, cultured creams, clotted cream, and mascarpone to food manufacturers, food service chains, and contract caterers, alongside contract manufacturing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dairy Products Manufacturing

NAICS

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

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Yogurt & Cultured Dairy Products Manufacturing (Kefir, Sour Cream, Labneh) (AFAKAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fluid Milk & Cream Processing (AFAKAKAA), Fermented Drinkable Dairy (Lassi, Ayran, Doogh, Chaas/Buttermilk Drinks) (AFAHAIAB), Yogurt & Cultured Dairy (Yogurt, Kefir, Sour Cream, Cottage Cheese) (CRADACAB)

Keywords

• Contract dairy manufacturing
• Soft cheese production
• Cultured dairy products
• Yogurt manufacturing
• Dairy ingredients supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Shaftesbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Dairy Product Sales: B2B sales of premium dairy products including soft cheese, yogurt, cultured creams, clotted cream, and mascarpone to food manufacturers, food service chains, and wholesale suppliers across the UK
2. Contract Manufacturing: Custom manufacturing services using Filmatic Bottling Line and product development team to create bespoke dairy products for third-party brands in retail-ready packaging

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BV Dairy is a specialist chilled dairy producer manufacturing award-winning soft cheeses (including Fromage Frais and Quarg), yogurts (Greek Style, Full Fat, Low Fat, Very Low Fat), cultured creams (Soured Cream, Crème Fraîche, Buttermilk), Dorset Clotted Cream, and Mascarpone. The company supplies these dairy ingredients to UK food manufacturers and food service chains, and operates a Filmatic Bottling Line for contract manufacturing of cultured milk drinks and drinking yogurts for third-party retail brands.

Product overview

BV Dairy is a dairy products manufacturer offering a portfolio of award-winning dairy ingredients and finished products across four main categories: Soft Cheese (including Fromage Frais and Quarg), Yogurt (Greek Style, Full Fat, Low Fat, Very Low Fat), Cultured Creams (Soured Cream, Crème Fraîche, Buttermilk), and Clotted Cream and Mascarpone. The company operates as both a product supplier and contract manufacturer, providing ingredients to food manufacturers and food service operators across the UK. Their contract manufacturing services include a Filmatic Bottling Line for cultured milk drinks and drinking yoghurts. Products are available in various formats including retail trays, buckets, sachets, bottles, and pallecons. BV Dairy joined the First Milk cooperative in early 2024, strengthening their position as a supplier of high-quality dairy ingredients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Soft Cheese Award-winning soft cheese produced using Ultra Filtration (UF) process with adjustable fat levels ranging from 30%, 20%, 12% to 4%. High moisture content makes it ideal for spreads and melting applications in food manufacturing and food service.
• Fromage Frais Versatile soft cheese ingredient with target fat content of 7-8% and no added salt. Suitable for sweet or savoury applications in food manufacturing.
• Quarg Very low fat soft cheese style product with approximately 0.5% fat content, very high protein levels, and no salt added. Ideal for cooking applications.
• Dorset Clotted Cream Award-winning traditional clotted cream made using a secret family recipe since 1958. Features a characteristic crust and indulgent taste. Gold medal winner at the 2025 British & Irish Cheese Awards.
• Mascarpone Traditional Italian-style thick and creamy soft cheese. Offers richness to a variety of dishes and is crafted to exceptional standards in the UK.
• Greek Style Yogurt Full range of Greek Style Yogurts available in set and stirred textures with fat levels ranging from 4% to 11%. Rich luxurious taste and texture, suitable for serving alone, with desserts, breakfast, or in cooked recipes.
• Full Fat Yogurt Stirred full fat yogurt with target fat content of 4%. Gold award winner at the British and Irish Cheese Awards 2025. Available in sachets (40g-150g).
• Low Fat Yogurt Lower fat yogurt with fat content ranging from 1-3% while maintaining full flavour. Bronze award winner at 2025 British & Irish Cheese Awards.
• Very Low Fat Yogurt Very low fat yogurt with target fat content of 0.05%. Excellent option for creating low-fat recipes and products.
• Soured Cream Cultured product with rich, thick texture. Available in set, stirred and reduced fat options. Popular in North American and European cuisine for toppings, salad dressings, and baking.
• Crème Fraîche French-origin cultured product offered with set, stirred and reduced fat options. Ideal for luxury sauces, dips, or as a creamy accompaniment to desserts.
• Buttermilk Low-fat fermented dairy product with characteristic soured flavour. Often used for making scones, muffins, pancakes and sourdough, or to tenderise chicken.
• Contract Manufacturing State-of-the-art contract manufacturing services including a Filmatic Bottling Line for bottling cultured milk drinks and drinking yogurts for the retail market. Full inline process for retail-ready packaging from pots and bottles to sachets (40g-150g). Includes a product development team for bespoke product creation.
• Food Service Supply Premium dairy ingredient supply service for food service chains and contract caterers. Products available in convenient packaging sizes for distribution to cafes, restaurants, dining rooms and hotels across the UK. Minimum order quantity of £500 for direct purchases.
• Food Manufacturing Supply Supply of premium dairy products to food manufacturers throughout the UK. Products used in a wide array of recipes including cheesecakes, curries, dips, ready-made pasta meals, and more. Wide variety of fat, protein, viscosity and salt levels available.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• First MilkflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024BV Dairy became part of the First Milk family in early 2024. First Milk is a regenerative farmer-owned cooperative. The aligned values for people, planet and animals make the partnership a perfect fit, securing the next phase of growth and future for the business.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Meadow Foods: UK-based contract dairy manufacturer producing cream, milk drinks, and cultured products for retail and foodservice brands. Closely comparable to BV Dairy's contract manufacturing model and B2B ingredient supply focus.
• Yeo Valley: Major UK yogurt and dairy producer with strong sustainability credentials and B Corp status. Directly comparable product set (yogurt, cream) and similar premium UK positioning to BV Dairy.
• Longley Farm: Yorkshire-based independent dairy manufacturer producing yogurt, cream, soft cheese, and clotted cream. Directly comparable specialist cultured dairy producer with similar product portfolio to BV Dairy.
• Wyke Farms: Somerset-based family dairy producer making cheddar, butter, and whey products with 100% renewable energy operations. Comparable heritage dairy producer with sustainability credentials and B2B/wholesale channels.

Others

• First Milk: Parent cooperative and owner of BV Dairy. Regenerative farmer-owned dairy cooperative providing raw milk supply — relevant as the controlling entity and as a UK dairy competitor in milk procurement.

Broad incumbents

• Arla Foods: Largest dairy cooperative in the UK/Europe producing the full dairy spectrum. Broad incumbent competitor overlapping with BV across yogurt, cream, and soft cheese categories but at vastly greater scale.
• Saputo Dairy UK (formerly Dairy Crest): Owner of UK heritage brands like Cathedral City and Davidstow cheddar. Broad incumbent in UK dairy with overlapping cheese manufacturing capabilities relevant to BV's soft cheese line.
• Lactalis UK: Subsidiary of global dairy giant Lactalis, producing cheese, yogurt, and cream in the UK. Broad incumbent with portfolio overlap across BV's cultured dairy and cheese ranges.
• FrieslandCampina: Dutch dairy cooperative with significant UK presence in cheese, yogurt, and dairy beverages. Comparable cooperative structure to First Milk and overlapping B2B dairy ingredient supply.
• Müller UK & Ireland: Major UK dairy operator with strength in yogurt, milk, and cream. Broad incumbent competitor with overlapping product range to BV Dairy and significant foodservice penetration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/BVDairy
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bv-dairy

Compliance5 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 BV Dairy