We are thrilled to share an exciting announcement about the next chapter in the development of Trewithen Dairy. As a proud family-owned business, we are delighted to inform you that from today, we join the Ehrmann group, an independent 3rd Generation family-owned business, which is one of Germany’s leading dairy companies with over 100 years of heritage and a history of innovation in the production of high quality dairy products.
This morning (25th June 2024), we announced the acquisition to our staff and representatives of our dairy farmer suppliers at the Dairy and we were honoured to have Christian Ehrmann, the third-generation owner and Chairman of Ehrmann SE, with us. As Christian made clear, in acquiring Trewithen, Ehrmann recognise they have bought a successful and highly complementary business. One which has well invested processing facilities, an experienced and motivated workforce, a high quality milk pool and growing customer base for our range of Cornish dairy products.
The acquisition will also provide a strong platform for the further expansion of Ehrmann’s range of branded dairy desserts into the UK market. Central to this will be a significant £20 million investment to create a state-of the-art desserts production facility, alongside our existing dairy. The investment, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will enable us to enhance the range of products that we can supply to our growing UK customer base.
At the same time, it will deliver job security for our existing 260 plus employees, create additional high skilled roles with the development of a new state-of-the-art processing facility and provide a growing number of Cornish dairy farmers with a secure and expanding home for their high-quality milk. As such, we believe that we will be a show case for the Cornish dairy industry.
Moving forward it will be very much business as usual. We will continue to be known as Trewithen Dairy and Ehrmann has been very clear that it is committed to harnessing our Cornish provenance and investing in the growth of Trewithen’s Cornish dairy products. The business will continue to be managed locally. While our founders, Bill and Rachel, are retiring, both Paul Berne and Francis Clarke are personally committed to Trewithen future development assuming long-term senior leadership roles. Paul remains as CEO, and Francis will become the business’s Chief Procurement Officer. We thank Bill and Rachel for their 30 year dedication to the business and wish them a very much well deserved retirement.
In summary, the acquisition provides a positive platform for the ongoing growth and development of Trewithen. Throughout our discussions with Ehrmann, it has been clear that we share complementary visions and values. This, together with Ehrmann’s exciting plans to invest in the Dairy, makes us very confident that the business and its position as being a leading light in the Cornish dairy sector is in safe hands for the future.
