Dairy co-operative expands business following acquisition

First Milk, the Cumbria-based dairy group, has acquired Dorset dairy product manufacturer, BV Dairy (Blackmore Vale Farm Cream Limited) for an undisclosed sum.

The group, located in Aspatria, is a predominantly B2B farmer-owned dairy co-operative, supporting 700 farming families across the UK and working with some of the leading dairy businesses.

BV Dairy services customers throughout England, Wales and Scotland, offering an end-to-end solution across food manufacturing and food service, as well as offering co-manufacturing to growth markets such as the home meal solutions and gut health sectors.

The acquisition of BV Dairy significantly grows First Milk’s manufacturing and market reach, provides added value to the business’s members, and offers a platform for further growth.

Law firm, Browne Jacobson, advised First Milk on its acquisition. Its team comprised Partners Peter Allen and James Skivington, alongside Associates Bethany Grummitt and Olivia Barrow (Corporate) and Graham Ball and Beth Nixon (Banking) and Dominic Buckley and Michael Parkinson (Real Estate).

James Skivington said: “It’s been fantastic working with Stuart and the First Milk team to help them expand their services, at such a time of real opportunity for the UK farming sector. With this new acquisition, we look forward to seeing how the business will continue to grow as a market leader.”

Stuart Donald, Corporate Development Director at First Milk, said: “The food and beverage sector experience of Peter, James and the Browne Jacobson team assisted us greatly.”