German Meggle acquires cheese maker Rücker

Meggle, a Bavarian family business active in dairy, is acquiring the North German competitor Rücker. Rücker is also a family business, but smaller. With the acquisition, Meggle will become over 40% larger in terms of revenue, amounting to around €2 billion. A reason for the merger was not mentioned, but it is no surprise that this acquisition is taking place against the backdrop of the announced merger of Arla and DMK.Meggle is a financially strong company with a revenue of over €1.4 billion. It does not disclose profit figures, but the company has a solid reputation. It is primarily active in Germany, but also in the US, on the Balkan, and in the Middle East. In terms of dairy, Meggle is mainly a consumer dairy company with strong regional brands. It is also strong in butter. Cheese is until now not Meggle's strongpoint, but in 2021 it took over the Stegmann Emmentaler Käsereien in Altusried/Kempten, from Sodiaal. With the addition of Rücker, it will add more cheese to its portfolio.Rücker achieved a revenue of €504 million last year, which is €48 million more than the year before. The company generated a modest profit of €4.3 million, slightly more than in 2023. Unlike Meggle, Rücker has traditionally been known as a commodity company, with a strong focus on film cheese. Therefore, 60% of its revenue comes from cheese, about 25% from milk and whey powders, and 15% from butter. The company has two factories: one in Aurich and one in Wismar.