Walmart will soon sell Norman milk in China. According to information from our colleagues at figarothe American distribution giant has partnered with the Maîtres laitiers du Cotentin (MLC) to enable the Normandy cooperative to supply four references of fluid milk to the gigantic Chinese market.
According to the newspaper, the multi-year contract signed between the two groups, the amount of which has not been disclosed, also contemplates the possibility of marketing Norman milk in other countries where Walmart operates.
But it is above all China where the dairy masters from Cotentin go to supply their bottles of whole and skimmed milk with the Walmart seal. Its production should begin this Wednesday to be marketed from the second half of August on the e-commerce site of the US distributor and in its 365 Chinese stores.
Broken contract with Chinese Synutra
Production will take place at the Méautis (Manche) factory, inaugurated in June 2017 and for which MLC has invested 114 million euros. The site was initially to be used to produce and export milk briquettes to China, according to the partnership signed with Synutra. But the Chinese company finally broke the contract in 2018, raising employee concerns about the sustainability of the Méautis site.
The Cotentin dairy farmers’ cooperative, which brings together more than 750 farmers, has since invested to rehabilitate its six production lines, three of which will be used to produce milk for Walmart. Therefore, the plant should operate at 65% capacity and employ around a hundred employees.
Source: BFM TV
