Public | |
Traded as | : SAP |
Industry | Food - Major Diversified |
Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Area served
|
Canada, Argentina, United States, Australia |
Key people
|
|
Revenue | C$9.85 billion (2014) |
C$499.50 million (2014) | |
Number of employees
|
12,000 (2014) |
Subsidiaries | |
Website | www |
Saputo Inc. is a Montreal-based Canadian dairy company. Founded as a cheese making company in 1954 by Italian immigrant Giuseppe Saputo, today Saputo's business includes dairy products, and it is the tenth largest dairy processor in the world. After growing in its home region of Quebec, the company has expanded by mergers and acquisitions.
Saputo operates in Canada, as well as in the United States, Argentina and Australia. The Company operated in Wales and Germany from 2006 to 2013. It is the largest dairy processor in Canada, third largest in Argentina, and the second largest cheese maker in the United States. About a third of its revenues come from the company's United States operations. Saputo owns the Canadian rights to Hostess Brands products, including the Twinkie.
Saputo acquired Dairyworld Foods and its stable of brands including "Dairyland" milk and "Armstrong" cheese, which was the production and marketing arm of Agrifoods International Cooperative Ltd, in 2001 for C$407 million. Agrifoods International was itself the result of a series of mergers between dairy cooperatives in Western Canada in the 1990s. Armstrong Cheese was formerly an independent cheese maker in Armstrong, British Columbia, which was acquired by Dairyworld in 1997. After Saputo obtained the brand, it closed the plant in Armstrong.
In 2008, Saputo continued its series of acquisitions by purchasing Neilson Dairy from George Weston Limited for C$465 million.
Saputo announced in 2012 it would buy Morningstar Food for US$1.45 billion. The US company makes 2/3 of its sales from products sold to restaurants, including coffee, whipped cream, ice cream, cottage cheese and sour cream.
In January 2014 they announced that they would be purchasing the fluid milk business of Scotsburn Co-operative Services Limited of Nova Scotia for $61 million.
In February 2014, Saputo acquired a relevant interest of 87.920% of Victoria, Australia dairy product firm Warrnambool Cheese and Butter Factory Company Holdings Limited shares.