Müller (company)

Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller
Industry Food
Headquarters Fischach, Bavaria, Germany
Key people
Theo Müller (owner)
Ronald Kers (CEO)
Volkhard Otto Mett (Chairman)
Products Dairy
Revenue 6.5 billion (2015)
Number of employees
27,000
Subsidiaries Müller Milk & Ingredients
Website www.muellergroup.com

Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller (often called Müllermilch or simply Müller) is a multinational producer of dairy products, with a headquarters in Fischach in the German state of Bavaria. Müller has a turnover of 5 billion[1] and has 21,000 employees.[2]

History

In 1971, Theo Müller took over the Müller company that was founded in 1896 by his grandfather in Aretsried, Bavaria.[2] Theo Müller is the sole owner, and as of 2015, Ronald Kers is the new CEO, replacing Heiner Kamps, who retired in 2015.[1]

Structure

The group includes a number of companies operating under the Müller name, including the original Molkerei Alois Müller GmbH & Co. KG and Müller Dairy (U.K.). It is best known for its range of yogurts, including the trademark 'Müller Corner' and 'fresh milk based drinks'

In Germany, beside the group headquarters in Fischach which also houses the Molkerei Alois Müller production plant, the group also operates significant production sites in Freising (Molkerei Weihenstephan), Leppersdorf (Sachsenmilch and Käserei Loose), Market Drayton (Müller Dairy (U.K.)), and Prague (Mlékárna Pragolaktos).

In addition to the companies operating under the Müller name, the group wholly or partly owns the Molkerei Weihenstephan, Sachsenmilch and Käserei Loose dairy companies in Germany, the Mlékárna Pragolaktos dairy in the Czech Republic, and Müller Milk and Ingedients in the UK.[3] A number of ancillary marketing and transport companies are also owned.

Through a joint venture with PepsiCo's Quaker Foods division, Müller entered the US market in 2012. The company's US plant opened in Batavia, New York in 2013 and was the distribution hub for the United States.[4] However, the company announced in December 2015 it would close the plant.[5]

Products

Müller produces a substantial number of popular yogurt brands, including Müllerlight, Müllerice, Yogz and Müller Corner.

Muller FrütUp (German: "Froop") is a vanilla yogurt with a fruit mousse on top. The most popular flavors include lemon, raspberry, and peach passion fruit, which is also shown on their commercial. Each year they have an exotic "fruit of the year" flavor.

Advertising

In 2006, Müller launched a television advertising campaign in the UK. Featuring "Ain't Got No, I Got Life" by Nina Simone, it focused on people dancing and smiling whilst eating Müller yogurts. In 2007 Müller introduced new TV advertisements with the slogan "lick the lid of life". In 2008 Müller released a new advert featuring their Shropshire-based factory, still using the Nina Simone song, and emphasising the closeness of supply from the surrounding area of its factory in Market Drayton; "24 hours from farm to yogurt".

In 2011, Müller launched a new slogan, "Wünderful Stuff". This was backed by a new advertising campaign involving people being turned into various cartoon characters which first aired on 8 October on ITV1, during that night's edition of The X Factor.

Müller was the main shirt sponsor for English football club Aston Villa as part of a two-year deal from 1993 until 1995, during which time they won the Football League Cup. The sponsorship ended when the club accepted a sponsorship offer from AST Research.

Since 2013, the American singer Nicole Scherzinger has appeared in Müller adverts.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ronald Kers new CEO of the Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller". Muller Group. 1 July 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Theo Mueller". Forbes. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  3. Kollewe, Julia (16 January 2012). "Germany's Müller group to take over Robert Wiseman Dairies". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  4. Astley, Mark. Müller Quaker Dairy breaks ground on first US yogurt plant, Daily Reporter, August 8, 2012, Retrieved 2012-09-20
  5. "New owner emerges for huge Batavia yogurt plant". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  6. http://www.muller.co.uk/tasteLife/products/corner/
  7. http://www.muller.co.uk/tasteLife/products/mullerlight/
  8. Müller | Faqs

External links

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