Tetra Pak acquires a slice of the cheese market

Tetra Pak has moved to capitalise on the growing market for fresh cheese, with the acquisition of Obram S.A., a leading provider of cheese technology solutions and equipment in Poland, Russia, Belarus and many parts of Eastern Europe.

Obram delivers production solutions for fresh cheese, cottage cheese and semi-hard cheese applications, including mould handling and brining.

According to the Agricultural Outlook, published by the OECD and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, world cheese consumption will grow by 16% over the next decade.

As consumers become more health conscious, the popularity of fresh cheese, and lighter soft cheese, is expected to increase. According to Euromonitor, between 2013 and 2014, soft cheese accounted for 50% of absolute value growth of the total global cheese market, driven by product innovation and increased penetration.

“This acquisition will enhance our ability to help customers capture these opportunities, particularly in places like Central America, South America and India, where consumer demand for fresh cheese is growing at a tremendous pace,” said Tetra Pak Processing Systems Executive Vice President Tim High.

Obram President and CEO Zbigniew Raczynski said, “From an Obram perspective, this move is full of potential: it will help us to grow our business through Tetra Pak’s global sales channels, while allowing us to provide a broader range of products and services to our existing customers - everything from filtration and whey treatment to technical support and parts.”