Ornua has acquired Chinese dairy manufacturer Ambrosia Dairy, to strengthen its presence in the Chinese terrain.Ambrosia Dairy produces sour cream, yoghurt and specialty cheeses, which are supplied to retail and food service markets in Shanghai.
Ambrosia's facility has a new cheese product development center to cater to the Chinese market.
The acquisition is intended to enhance Ornua's access to high-end retail market and the fast growing food service industry of China.
Ambrosia Dairy's cheeses are expected to complement Ornua's product range, which includes Kerrygold Irish milk products, which are already sold in China.
Ornua expects the new additions to help it leverage sales opportunities for Irish dairy products in the Chinese markets.
Ornua CEO Kevin Lane said: "This acquisition is another important milestone in Ornua's growth as a global supplier of quality dairy products. We are buying an excellent dairy enterprise which allows us to significantly grow our Chinese business in one step.
"It provides us with a manufacturing base in China and brings on board a team with local knowledge and expertise, complementing our own existing in-market operation.
"Ambrosia Dairy is particularly well known for the quality of its cheeses and it has been at the forefront of the development of the domestic cheese market in Shanghai."
The latest acquisition by Ornua follows a series of significant investments to target new bases for Irish dairy products - over the past two years, Ornua made heavy investments in Africa, Germany, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK and the US.
The acquisition of Ambrosia Dairy comes just weeks after Ornua opened a new milk packaging facility in Nigeria.
