Müller (company)

Mülleris a German company producing a variety ofdairy products, with headquarters inFischachin the German state ofBavaria. Aside from its German home market, Müller is also active on various markets around Europe and beyond. It is, for example, one of the best selling yogurt brands in the United Kingdom.
The company achieved a turnover of€5.7 billion in 2019 and has more than 27,500 employees.
The Müller company was founded in 1896 in Aretsried, Bavaria.In 1971, the founder's grandsonTheo Müllertook over as the sole owner.
Through ajoint venturewithPepsiCo'sQuaker Foodsdivision, Müller entered the market in the United States in August 2012. The company's plant in the United States opened inBatavia, New York, in June 2013, and was the distribution hub for the United States.However, the company announced in December 2015 that it would close the plant.The plant reopened in July 2017, under new ownership byAlpina Foods, but closed down again in January 2019.
The Müller group is one of the largest dairy groups in the world, with an estimated turnover in the dairy sector of around €3.3 billion (2013). In total, the group generates annual sales of around €5.7 billion (2019) and employs around 27,500 people worldwide (2019).
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 ofyogurts, including the trademark 'Müller Corner', and fresh milk based drinks.
The group includes subsidiaries with independent brands such as Müller,Müller Wiseman, Müller Quaker Dairy, Weihenstephan, Sachsenmilch and Käserei Loose. Private labels and basic dairy products such asbutter,UHT milk,lactosepowder andwhey proteincomplete the portfolio.
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, andMüller Milk & Ingredientsin the United Kingdom.
Since 2011, the group has also includedHK Food, which is one of Germany's leading manufacturers of convenience foods. Its product range includes chilled delicatessen salads, sauces and fish specialities from theHomann,Nadler,Livioand other brands of the Homann Group. The branch business fromNordseewas part of HK Food until October 2018.
In Germany, beside the group headquarters in Fischach which also houses the Molkerei Alois Müller production plant, the group also operates significant production sites inFreising(Molkerei Weihenstephan), Leppersdorf (Sachsenmilch and Käserei Loose),Market Drayton(Müller Dairy (U.K.), andPrague(Mlékárna Pragolaktos).
The group had twenty five production sites worldwide by February 2017.
The company has sales offices in Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia and Hong Kong. Müller also exports fresh dairy products of the Müller brand to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland, Croatia, Luxembourg, Austria, Russia, Slovenia, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates.
In addition to the milk processing subsidiaries, it also owns a number of ancillary marketing and transport companies. The group includes the packaging company Optipack, the logistics companyCulina Group, and Müller Naturfarm.
Müller produces a substantial number of popular yogurt brands, including Müllerlight, Müllerice, Yogz and Müller Corner.
In September 2024,The Independentreleased footage from dairy farms supplying Müller showing animal abuse and neglect. Workers were seen repeatedly hitting cows with metal chains and poles, with one employee observed jabbing a cow with a screwdriver. TheRSPCAdescribed the footage as "completely unacceptable".
In December 2004, Müller released a new set of adverts using the song by Nina Simone, "Ain't Got No, I Got Life". In 2008, Müller introduced a new advert featuring their factory based inShropshire, and emphasising the closeness of supply from the surrounding area of its factory inMarket Drayton; "24 hours from farm to yogurt".
In October 2011, Müller launched a new slogan, "Wünderful Stuff". This was backed by a new advertising campaign involving people being turned into various popular cartoon characters and also featured an appearance byKITT, which first aired on 8 October onITV1, during that night's edition ofThe X Factor.
Müller was the main shirt sponsor for EnglishfootballclubAston Villaas part of a two-year deal from 1993 until 1995, during which time they won theFootball League Cup. The sponsorship ended when the club accepted a sponsorship offer fromAST Research. The American singerNicole Scherzingerhas appeared in Müller adverts.