The 12th Annual Dairy 100: Bigger by the Billions

摘要

The industry passes a milestone this year, as Dean Foods has realized its promise as the first $10 billion North American dairy processor. And it''s not just the top cat that''s getting bigger. There are a record number (22) billion-dollar companies in this year''s Dairy 100,™ and the majority of them experienced considerable sales growth in 2004, thanks in part to higher prices. The top 10 companies now represent just under $38.5 billion, compared with just less than $30 billion last year. As far as the rankings of the top 10 or 20 companies, there was much less movement than during the heat of the consolidation race in the late 90s. The top five companies are the same as last year. And compared to six or seven years ago, most of the movement in the upper echelon was organic. Acquisitions coming on the books this year did affect the rankings of HP Hood and National Dairy Holdings, with Hood entering the top 10 for the first time at No. 6, and NDH dropping out to No. 14. The ongoing integration of Dreyer''s Grand Ice Cream and Nestle USA led to some sales reporting requirements which ultimately resulted in Dreyer''s dropping a few spots this year. Again this year we have two Canadian companies in the top 10—Saputo at No. 4 and Parmalat Canada at No. 10. This year we''ll look at what''s going on with some of the top 20 companies before moving for some highlights from the rest of the list.