Laïta strengthens its product portfolio with a welcome acquisition

Laïta, a French dairy co-operative, supplying quality products to the UK, is delighted to announce that it has acquired Marathon Foods Ltd, the London-based Mediterranean specialist food importer.

The acquisition of Marathon, the £10m exclusive supplier of halloumi to Laïta’s UK subsidiary, Eurilait, secures the supply of this popular grilling cheese at a time when the UK has seen rapid growth in the hot-eating cheese trend across retail and foodservice, and expands the dairy’s product portfolio internationally.

Halloumi presents a versatile product suitable for many applications and has become particularly popular in recent years; the dairy has seen massive growth in demand for its UK foodservice customers on restaurant and take away menus, as well as becoming a top supermarket purchase during lockdown.

Kantar data* supports strong consumer interest in this popular cheese, highlighting sales of halloumi and grilling cheese up by 37.8% YOY (to Dec 2020)! This trend is seen across sales to all major retailers and consumer liking of this cheese is set to continue when they are permitted to eat ‘out’ again.

The security of supply that the acquisition offers Laïta means it can continue to provide its foodservice, retail and industrial customers with the array of formats it has become known for; its production capabilities include precision cut slices, crumb, cubes, batons and the much in demand, halloumi fries. These formats can help foodservice operators save time, improve portion control and reduce waste.

*Kantar data: Total Halloumi and Grilling Cheese|52 we 27 Dec 20