Finnish dairy processor Valio has launched a range of consumer dairy products to be sold in the UK market from 2018. Valio said these products will include its line of yoghurts under the Gefilus brand, its Valio ValSa range of spreadable butters and cheeses, as well as its premium butter brand Master Butter Makers. It is likely this premium butter brand will compete directly with Ireland’s Kerrygold brand, which sells up to 40,000t per year in the UK market.

Valio said it would begin a marketing campaign in the UK titled Fresh Finnish Thinking with these products expected to appear on UK supermarket shelves in early 2018.

Valio is the largest dairy company in Finland, processing over 80% of all the country’s 2.3bn litres of milk production. The company has a strong focus on R&D and new product development with close to €30m, or almost 2% of annual sales, invested in R&D every year.

Valio was founded in 1905 by 17 Finnish dairy co-ops that pooled their resources to be more competitive in global export markets. The dairy company currently exports to more than 60 markets.

In 2016, Valio recorded sales of €1.6bn. Operating profits in the business stood at €29.5m, with profit margins tight at 1.8%. Despite the difficult year for dairy markets in 2016, Valio paid an average milk price of 38c/litre.