Dutch multinational dairy cooperative, FrieslandCampina has reiterated its commitment to global dairy development as it kicks off activities to celebrate 150 years of grass-to-glass dairy cooperative.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony, Ben Langat, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, sub-Saharan Cluster said overtime the co-operative has grown and developed a strong reputation while making impact in its host communities.
He added that Friesland Campina also celebrates its history due to the belief that it is significant to encourage enterprise, promote collaboration and drive continued investment across the dairy industry.
“Using lessons from our years of experience and knowledge in the dairy industry, we have championed the dairy sector development with the formation of cooperatives for Nigerian farmers to pool milk into our collection points which is used in our factory,” Langat said.
Hein Schumacher, CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V said FrieslandCampina is built on 150 years of cooperative knowledge and experience, adding that Its foundations consist of family businesses who have been members of the current cooperative and its legal predecessors for many generations.
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“We have enterprising farmers working together daily to provide millions of consumers throughout the world with the goodness of milk, from grass to glass. I am really proud of this,” he said.
Also speaking at the flag-off ceremony in the Netherlands, Erwin Wunnekink, Chairman, Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina said, FrieslandCampina is one of the largest dairy cooperatives in the world having almost 17,000 members which has made it really successful locally and globally having worked together.
“We initially started this in cities close to home then we moved across the borders and eventually all over the world where everyone knows our cheeses and our infant nutrition,” he said.
Ore Famurewa, Executive Director, Corporate Affairs, FrieslandCampina WAMCO who announced the flag off ceremony explained that the history of FrieslandCampina as a dairy cooperative dates back to 1871 when some farmers established the Association for Agricultural Development in Hollands Noorderkwartier, (Vereeniging tot Ontwikkeling van den Landbouw in Hollands Noorderkwartier’).
She said the cooperative kick-started in 1872 when 20 farmers in the Dutch village of Wieringerwaard in North Holland bought a building, two cheese tubs and a weighing scale, they appointed a cheesemaker and established the first official cooperation of farmers.
“In the village of Warga in Friesland, a group of farmers united also formed another cooperative. After many mergers, these cooperatives finally resulted in FrieslandCampina. Today, the dairy industry is one of the Netherlands’ most important industrial sectors” Famurewa explained.
Starting from its international headquarters in The Netherlands, the dairy giant hoisted its anniversary flag simultaneously in all the production locations of FrieslandCampina across the world, including Nigeria.
