Friesland Campina confident on milk formula brand with partner Huishan

Dutch dairy giant FrieslandCampina says it is confident its planned new infant milk formula brand via a joint venture with China Huishan Dairy will win over Chinese consumers despite the fact it will be produced domestically.

Best known as the maker of imported milk powder brand Friso in the region, the firm hopes to replicate its success with a different, less premium, line produced entirely within the mainland.

“The new brand… is different to Friso but [will be] a good infant formula brand that will meet different stages of nutrition needs,” the firm’s greater China chief executive, James Chiu, said.

“We have more than 140 years of dairy knowledge, Dutch technology, and a very good partner upstream with the same quality as we produce in Netherlands. It’s like BMW in China is all made in China, [but the quality] is just like the ones made in Germany,” Chiu said.

Global chief executive Cees Hart said that although the negotiations with Huishan were still under way, they hoped to finalise the partnership by the end of the year.