General Mills has purchased Mountain High Yoghurt, an all-natural yogurt sold in the western United States. Terms were not disclosed.
“We are excited about this opportunity to double our large-size yogurt business with this strong brand,” said Becky O’Grady, president of the Yoplait division at the Golden Valley-based food company.
The acquisition from Dean Foods comes at an unsettled time. General Mills has spent 33 years building Yoplait into the top-selling yogurt in the United States. But now, as a longtime licensee, General Mills faces the possible loss of that lucrative brand.
The French dairy Sodima has told General Mills it will sever their licensing deal in 2012. General Mills is fighting that effort.
And Yoplait’s other 50-percent owner has put its stake up for sale, drawing strong interest from rival food companies, who might want to sell the brand themselves.
Kirstie Foster, a spokeswoman for General Mills, said the company was interested in Mountain High to expand its reach into the all-natural and large-size yogurts, carried in 32-ounce and 64-ounce containers.
Asked whether Mountain High Yoghurt also represented a Plan B for General Mills, Foster said no.
“Mountain High is an exceptional brand that is experiencing exceptional growth,” she said.
Earlier this year, General Mills discontinued its Colombo yogurt brand, saying it wanted to focus its resources on national brands.
Source: The Pioneer Press