The UK arm of US-based dairy company, Leprino Foods has recorded operating profits of £9.3m up to the period ended 1 November 2025.

The company is the largest producer of mozzarella cheese in the world and in the UK it operates across two sites located at Magheralin in NI and Llangefni in Wales, employing a total of 397 people.

To 1 November 2025, Leprino Foods Ltd saw its turnover cut by 5.2% from £415.4m to £393.9m.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, those figures are distorted by a decision to change the year-end from December to October, so the latest turnover covers a 43-week period, compared to a 53-week period in the previous accounts.

If 2024 turnover is pro-rated over 43 weeks for comparison, then it actually increased by 16.9% in the last financial year.

Operating profits fell from £13.2m to £9.3m, but again, this figure is impacted by the change in the year-end.

However, operating profit margin is down in the latest accounts, falling from 3.18% to 2.36%. The company has net assets of £100m, up from £95m in the previous year.

The operating profit margins are fairly typical among food processing. Earlier this year, Lakeland Dairies confirmed a 1.8% profit margin to the end of 2025, which compares to 2.4% in the previous year.

However, Dale Farm has recorded a 5.2% profit margin in each of its last two financial years.

The directors of Leprino described their latest financial results as “satisfactory”, noting that the market place continues to be competitive and overall margins are likely to be “challenging” in 2026.

Despite that, they believe the company is well placed to manage its way through this period, with “significant capital investments” planned at both processing sites in 2026.

These investments “will span several years and be of strategic importance for the future”.

As well as the UK sites, Leprino operates a number of manufacturing facilities in the US, with its headquarters in Denver, Colorado.

It also opened a €130m facility in Portlaoise, Ireland, back in 2021, but announced in 2025 that it would close by the middle of 2026. Earlier this year, the site was put on the market for €12m.