Industry & Business

Lidl, the UK’s fastest-growing supermarket, has awarded Dale Farm, the largest UK farmer-owned dairy co-operative, a lead contract to supply cheddar cheese to its stores across the UK, Europe and the United States. The supply deal represents the single biggest contract awarded by Lidl to a Northern Ireland agri-food company and will see Dale Farm’s locally-made block cheddars, as well as grated and sliced varieties, stocked in some 8,000 stores across 22 countries.

The contract award means Dale Farm, which is headquartered in NI and has multiple processing and manufacturing sites across the UK, will be Lidl’s main cheddar supplier on a global basis. In turn, the leading retailer now becomes Dale Farm’s biggest cheddar customer.

Liam Casey, commercial director of Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland, explains that Dale Farm’s product excellence, together with its export capabilities, secured the deal: “We are delighted to expand our Dale Farm partnership with this significant new arrangement to list its world-class, locally-made cheddar right across our UK, Europe and transatlantic store-base. Dale Farm’s excellent track record on product quality, innovation and provenance, as well as its distribution and export expertise, make it a strong and strategic choice for Lidl as we continue our drive to provide shoppers with the best choice, standard and value for money.”

Lidl’s Northern Ireland Director, Conor Boyle (pictured left), adds: “Dale Farm has been a valued and trusted Lidl supplier for many years, and this deal strengthens and secures that relationship for the future.  It is a coup for Dale Farm and for Lidl, allowing us to introduce and showcase this stunningly good Northern Ireland product to our customers around the world.”

Dale Farm produces its multi-award-winning cheese range, using milk supplied by its co-operative members, at its Dunmanbridge plant near Cookstown in County Tyrone. The cheddar range will go on-shelf in Lidl Ireland under the supermarket’s ‘Rathdaragh’ own-brand, in the UK and Europe as ‘Valley Spire’ and ‘Milbona’, and in the US as ‘Preferred Selection’.

Stephen Cameron (pictured right), Dale Farm Group Commercial Director, says: “Strengthening our long-term global partnership with Lidl is great news for the 1,300 farmers who own the Dale Farm co-operative. The scale of this contract is testament to the high standard of the milk our farmer owners provide us with to consistently create world-class cheddar cheese. It also demonstrates the continuing strength and sustainability of our farmer owned co-operative business model.”