About Us

Fonterra in Asia and the Middle East

ASIA

At a glance

Asia is the second largest consumer of Fonterra’s dairy ingredients after America, making up about 40 per cent of Fonterra’s total sales across the globe.

Countries such as Japan, China and Indonesia are among our top five international markets. In China, where we have a solid distribution network covering approximately 40 cities, dairy consumption is growing by 10 per cent every year.

Similarly in other developing markets such as Vietnam, dairy consumption grew from less than 1kg per capita per year in the early 1990s to almost 10kg at the start of this decade.

In Malaysia, Fonterra commands 76 per cent share of the adult milk category through its Anlene brand and 80 per cent share for prenatal dairy products with Anmum.

Fonterra is also the largest dairy company in Sri Lanka, with a market share of close to 50 per cent.

Across Asia, we currently employ over 2,500 employees in 15 operating countries.

Functional foods

Functional food and drink sales are gaining momentum across Asia as more people are becoming health-conscious and growing a taste for dairy products. Increasingly hectic lifestyles also mean that consumers are demanding convenience, nutrition and well-being.

Developed markets such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea are at the forefront of Fonterra’s functional ingredients innovation. In particular, Japanese and Chinese consumers are fascinated by new ingredients and are willing to try functional foods. The global presence of functional dairy products has also helped the movement of functional ingredients across different cultures.

In emerging markets, functional dairy products have been viewed by governments as a relatively easy way to deliver essential vitamins and minerals to consumers. For example, the Chinese Government is setting per capita dairy consumption growth targets from 18kg in 2010 through to 41kg in 2030.

Innovation

Consumers right across Asia are demanding more than just great tasting food. With 100 years of expertise in developing nutritional dairy products, Fonterra is dedicated to ensuring it provides all the goodness of dairy, and caters to the Asian palate.

Our flagship brand, Anchor is trusted across Asia, providing nutritional and quality products for the whole family. It also earned its nutrition credentials with the introduction of Anchor Growing Up Milk kids aged 1 to 7 years, clinically proven to protect against common childhood illnesses.

Backed by US$50 million of leading bone science research, Anlene is specially formulated for adults to help them achieve and maintain optimal bone health. Anmum’s family of nutritional brands is also designed to deliver quality milk formulas to boost the health of mothers and babies.

Worldwide trends have dictated a convergence between food and pharmaceuticals. Particularly in Asia, consumers are seeking health-giving products to supplement their diets.

Milk is the optimal nutritional solution, giving us a natural headstart over other foods to meet health concerns. We are constantly working to deliver product solutions that target specific concerns and promote health benefits. These solutions are developed by our innovation centre in New Zealand, where we have more than 100 scientists and doctoral researchers with links to some of the world leading research institutes.

To find out more about Fonterra’s innovation function, visit our Innovation and Technology section.

Ingredients

Fonterra is the leading industry leader in supplying some of the finest ingredients to food manufacturers in the region. We ensure that our quality products provide optimum nutrition, while still tasting great.

Our ingredients are used in a wide range of products like infant formulas, cream products, cheeses, biscuits and health drinks.

For more information, please visit our global Ingredients section.

Foodservices

Fonterra’s Foodservices business is constantly innovating to deliver the best food for consumers, while also continually providing foodservice operators with ingredients to meet their exacting standards.

We are dedicated to meeting the specialised demands of consumers for the preparation of food in various markets such as pizzas, cheeses, sauces and creams.

Being the number one supplier of cheese to China’s growing bakery market, Fonterra has set up a foodservices innovation centre in Shanghai to address increasing demand.

The sophistication in the Asian bakery market and changing consumer taste for new foods are also strong indicators that there is huge potential to develop our foodservices business further in this region.

For more information, visit our Foodservices section.

Working at Fonterra

Fonterra has more than 2,500 employees in 15 operating countries in Asia.

Our Asian offices have many opportunities ranging from marketing, distribution, manufacturing services to production capacities.

You can find more information about job opportunities at our Working at Fonterra section.

MIDDLE EAST

At a glance

More than 30 years ago, Fonterra began operations in the Middle East. Since then, the rising demand for dairy products among consumers, coupled with our expertise and success in addressing specific health concerns has resulted in a strong growth of the business in the region.

We have a presence in the Middle Eastern market through our local holding company Fonterra Brands, based in Dubai and operating across the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Our fastest growing markets in the Middle East are the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which account for 60% of our business in the Gulf region.

Fonterra launched its ‘global brand’ Anlene into the Middle Eastern market in June 2007, and the product was widely received by consumers.

In view of commodity price fluctuations, Fonterra is diversifying its portfolio by focusing on building brands and value-added ingredients in the region. We are also a significant player in the foodservices sector.

Our head office is in Dubai, and we manage about 185 employees in four countries across the region.

Consumer brands

We stand for wholesome reliable nutritional products that meet specific health needs. Our top selling brands in the Middle East are Chesdale, Anchor and Mainland.

Anlene is a milk containing high calcium designed for health conscious adults. Containing specially selected nutrients to work with the bones, the milk aids to ensure enhanced absorption and bone strength.

The launch of Anlene also represents our commitment to grow our branded consumer business in the Middle East.

Similarly, our Anchor brand, which includes full-cream and non-fat milk powders, growing-up milks, butter, UHT products, malted powders and cheese, is trusted by consumers for its quality and goodness.

To find out more about our brands, visit our Consumer Brands section.

Innovation

At Fonterra, we are always coming up with fresh, creative ideas to meet consumer needs. Consumer trends are dictating an increasing demand in products that not only taste great, but are also good for them, targeting many of their specific health concerns.

With the Middle Eastern launch of Anlene, we are at the leading edge of new product development, as there is no other product in the market today that can provide all the nutrients and vitamins to maintain healthy bones. Through the Anlene launch, Fonterra is pioneering new products and product categories that rely on the goodness of dairy to meet the needs of consumers.

To know more about Fonterra’s innovation function, visit our Innovation and Technology section.

Foodservices

We are dedicated to strengthening our commitment to the region’s foodservices industry by assisting chefs to utilise the goodness of dairy.

Our foodservices business in the Middle East is supported by a team of dairy experts backed with our knowledge of milk production, science and technology.

There are also future plans for a series of innovative product launches to complement our existing portfolio of milk, cheese, cultured and cream products.

For more information, visit our Foodservices section.