A Wisconsin cheese company, Trega Foods, has agreed to the sale of its three cheese plants to Agropur, Canada’s largest dairy cooperative.
The sale is expected to be finalized by the end of February and will include the company’s three cheese plants in Little Chute, Weyauwega and Luxemburg, company officials said Wednesday.
Trega, based in Little Chute, Wis. said it has reached an agreement to be acquired by Agropur, Canada’s largest dairy cooperative with sales of about $2.4 billion in 2007. Terms of the sale were not disclosed, but it will be Agropur’s second U.S. acquisition since 2002.
“We are increasing our presence in the United States, and this business transaction is in direct link with our development strategy,” Agropur CEO Pierre Claprood said in a news release.
There are no plans to close any of the Wisconsin operations, which combined have 320 employees. All Wisconsin employees are being offered jobs at the same pay and benefits they receive now, said Doug Simon, Trega president.
Trega, established in 1940, is the combined company of Weyauwega Milk Products, Krohn Dairy Products and Simon’s Specialty Cheese. It has about $300 million in annual sales and processes about 650 million liters of milk a year.
Trega will continue operating under its Wisconsin management, with Simon reporting to the president of Agropur’s cheese and functional products division. Trega’s products include cheddar, feta, mozzarella and provolone cheeses. The company has a retail store in Little Chute, near Appleton, that’s a tourist attraction.