Agropur’s Fromagerie Damafro, now slated to close in April next year, had been known as the developer of Quebec’s first-ever soft washed rind cheese, sold under the Saint-Damase brand. (OurCheeses.com)

Agropur to shut Monteregie fine cheese plant

A Quebec cheese plant formerly known as a top maker of Camembert- and Brie-type cheeses is set to shut permanently in April after five years under Agropur’s ownership. Quebec-based Agropur, North America’s biggest dairy co-operative, announced Friday it will start winding down operations at its Saint-Damase cheese plant in January ahead of the April 2019 […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Le Groupe Bel)

Babybel cheesemakers to set up Quebec plant

The makers of those little individual cheese snacks in the red wax shells plan to start producing them at their own new Canadian plant starting in early 2020. France’s Bel Group, whose brands in Canada include The Laughing Cow, Boursin and the aforementioned Mini Babybel, announced Thursday it will put up $87 million to build […] Read more

(OlympicDairy.com)

Agropur to take control of Iogo, Olympic yogurt maker

Ultima Foods, the Canadian maker of Iogo and Olympic yogurt products, is set to become the sole property of Quebec dairy producers’ co-op Agropur. Agropur and Agrifoods International Co-operative, which combined their yogurt manufacturing and marketing operations in 1993 to form Ultima as a 50-50 joint venture, announced a deal Thursday which will see Agropur […] Read more

(CNW Group/Ultima Foods)

Iogo maker to ramp up drinkable yogurt production

The yogurt-making joint venture of dairy co-ops Agropur and Agrifoods International plans to boost its drinkable yogurt output by adding another production line in Quebec’s Monteregie. Ultima Foods announced last week it will put up $10.8 million of its own funds plus a $3.6 million interest-free loan from Investissement Quebec, the investment arm of the […] Read more

Rene Moreau. (CNW Group/Agropur)

Agropur co-op names new chief

A dairy producer from the Centre-du-Quebec region is being promoted to the head of the board table at dairy co-operative Agropur. Rene Moreau, who farms south of Victoriaville at Warwick, Que., was announced Friday as Agropur’s new president, replacing Serge Riendeau, who led the board for the past 15 years. Moreau, one of Agropur’s vice-presidents […] Read more


Agropur in 2016 expanded capacity at its Feta cheese plant at Weyauwega, Wisconsin, a move it said will “keep it number one in Feta production in the U.S.” (Agropur.com)

Agropur raises 2016 sales, patronage dividends

Acquisitions and cost-cutting have combined to boost dairy co-operative Agropur’s year-end bottom line — and to raise its total patronage dividends for the year by 50 per cent. The Quebec co-operative, which in 2016 landed on Rabobank’s list of the world’s 20 largest dairy companies for the first time, booked net earnings before patronage and […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Scotsburn ice cream business sale to Agropur cleared

Canada’s biggest dairy co-operative has been given the all-clear to close its deal for an Atlantic dairy co-op’s ice cream business. Agropur Co-operative on Thursday announced it has bought the assets of Truro, N.S.-based Scotsburn Co-operative Services, which include the company’s plants in Truro and in Lachute, Que. as well as the Scotsburn brand name. […] Read more

(Dave Bedard photo)

Ottawa weighs options over U.S. milk proteins

Winnipeg | Reuters — Canada is working on a plan to shore up its sheltered dairy industry, including measures to counter fast-rising imports of milk proteins from the U.S., according to the federal agriculture minister. Any new support risks widening a trade dispute among North America’s dairy farmers over $150 million worth of U.S. milk […] Read more


(MyAllegro.ca)

Agropur halts its diafiltered milk imports

Updated, May 11, 2016 — Canadian dairy processing co-operative Agropur says a three-month national program to subsidize use of Canadian dairy ingredients will allow it to “immediately” end its own imports of diafiltered milk. “We had pledged to stop importing diafiltered milk as soon as conditions allowed,” co-op president Serge Riendeau said Tuesday in a […] Read more

(Natrel.ca)

Agropur plans three years of deeper cost cuts

Having beat a three-year, $75 million goal for cost cuts, Canadian dairy co-operative Agropur has set the bar at nine figures for the next three-year period. The Quebec-based co-op on Wednesday booked net earnings of $47.5 million on sales of $5.875 billion in its fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 2015, up from $38.31 million on […] Read more