About Arla
Arla is the UK's largest dairy company, producing over 2.2 billion litres of milk annually. The cooperative traces its roots back to 1881 when Swedish farmers established the first dairy cooperative at Stora Arla Gård in Västmanland, followed by the first Danish cooperative in 1882. The modern Arla Foods was formed in 2000 through the merger of Swedish Arla and Danish MD Foods, with UK expansion coming via the 2007 merger with Express Dairies and the 2012 integration of British Milk Link. Arla is uniquely farmer-owned—a cooperative of over 9,000 dairy farmers globally, including more than 2,000 British farmers. All profits return directly to farmer owners rather than shareholders, and farmers democratically elect representatives to the Board. This structure ensures sustainable farming practices and fair milk prices. In the UK, Arla's branded portfolio includes Cravendale (filtered milk that stays fresh up to 3 weeks unopened), Lactofree (commanding 70.8% of the UK lactose-free milk market with milk, cheese, cream and yogurt), Arla Skyr (Icelandic high-protein yogurt), Arla Protein (sports nutrition range), and Arla B.O.B (fat-free milk with semi-skimmed taste). Arla also owns Anchor butter (switched to British dairy in 2017) and Lurpak (Danish butter), plus Castello and Danish Blue cheeses. Beyond branded products, Arla supplies own-label dairy to major UK retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op, Aldi and Lidl. Compare Arla prices across UK supermarkets with Grocefully.