The recent Kantar Brand Footprint report showcased the most-chosen grocery brands across Europe, based on their Consumer Reach Points (CRP), penetration, and frequency.
Building on from that, in this article, we explore the top 20 most popular dairy – and dairy alternative – brands in Europe, as outlined by Kantar's Brand Footprint data for 2022.
The Top 20 Dairy Brands In Europe: Kantar
| 2022 Rank | Brand | CRP (M) | Pen 2022 | Frequency 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arla | 464.0 | 19.6 | 11.4 |
| 2 | Activia | 331.0 | 24.2 | 6.6 |
| 3 | Alpro | 313.0 | 20.6 | 7.4 |
| 4 | President | 304.0 | 26.9 | 5.5 |
| 5 | Muller | 293.0 | 19.2 | 7.4 |
| 6 | Philadelphia | 264.0 | 32.3 | 4.0 |
| 7 | Mlekovita | 246.0 | 6.5 | 18.4 |
| 8 | Zott | 241.0 | 14.4 | 8.1 |
| 9 | Actimel | 195.0 | 14.9 | 6.3 |
| 10 | Ehrmann | 185.0 | 13.9 | 6.4 |
| 11 | Danone | 185.0 | 19.1 | 4.7 |
| 12 | Landliebe | 155.0 | 12.8 | 5.9 |
| 13 | Granarolo | 144.0 | 9.2 | 7.6 |
| 14 | Rama | 144.0 | 14.1 | 4.9 |
| 15 | Milram | 130.0 | 10.7 | 5.9 |
| 16 | Magnum | 127.0 | 15.6 | 3.9 |
| 17 | La Laitiere | 127.0 | 10.1 | 6.1 |
| 18 | Kerrygold | 120.0 | 12.9 | 4.5 |
| 19 | Lurpak | 119.0 | 7.9 | 7.3 |
| 20 | Danet/Danette | 116.0 | 10.6 | 5.3 |
1. Arla
Scandinavian powerhouse Arla secures the top spot with a CRP of 464 million. Arla is a household name across Europe, known for its high-quality milk, butter, and cheese products.
Arla rounded off its 2023 financial year with revenue of €13.7 billion – similar to its performance in the previous financial year (€13.8 billion). For the full year, it achieved a net profit of €380 million.
2. Activia
Activia ranks second with a CRP of 331 million. As a subsidiary of Danone, Activia specialises in yogurt and probiotic products.
Established in 1987, Activia has built a database of more than 1,000 recipes across five continents.
3. Alpro
Renowned for its plant-based dairy alternatives, Alpro takes tthird position with a CRP of 313 million.
Alpro provides drinks and food products based on soya, and in recent years it extended its range with drinks made of almonds, hazelnuts, rice, oats and coconut. In 2017, Alpro joined Danone as a key contributor within its newly created Plant-Based Business Unit.
4. President
A premium cheese brand, President secures fourth spot with a CRP of 304 million.
President, part of the Groupe Lactalis family of brands, is the number one brand of Brie in France. The brand was founded by André Besnier in 1933 in the town of Laval, in the Loire Valley.
5. Müller
Known for its wide range of yogurt products, Müller holds fifth position with a CRP of 293 million.
In April 2023, Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller bolstered its footprint in the German dairy sector with the acquisition of the majority of the German business of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V.
6. Philadelphia
Cream cheese favourite Philadelphia takes sixth place with a CRP of 264 million.
Originally created in the 1870s by New York-based entrepreneur William Lawrence, Philadelphia is America’s number-one selling cream cheese.
7. Mlekovita
Polish dairy brand Mlekovita takes seventh spot with a CRP of 246 million.
Mlekovita has a presence in 167 countries and processes eight million litres of milk every day.
8. Zott
German-based dairy firm Zott secures eighth position with a CRP of 241 million.
Zott is a third-generation Bavarian family-owned business. The company had a net turnover of €935 million in 2020.
9. Actimel
A brand under the Danone umbrella, Actimel ranks ninth with a CRP of 195 million, and is known for its probiotic drinks designed to boost immunity and digestive health.
Actimel was established over 20 years ago and it is estimated that 2.5 billion bottles of Actimel are consumed each year across the world.
10. Ehrmann
A German producer of a diverse range of dairy products, Ehrmann holds tenth spot with a CRP of 185 million.
Ehrmann is one of the largest milk processing companies in Germany. Its products are sold under the Ehrmann brand in over 70 countries around the world, and the company generated more than €750 million in turnover in 2021.
11. Danone
A leading name in the global food industry, with a range of products from yogurt to milk, Danone takes eleventh position with a CRP of 185 million.
In February, Danone announced that it was starting the year with confidence following 2023 sales growth that was at the higher end of its forecast. The maker of Activia yogurt reported 2023 sales of €27.62 billion, representing a like-for-like increase of 7%.
12. Landliebe
Based in Germany, Landliebe secures twelfth position with a CRP of 155 million.
Last year, Theo Müller group completed the acquisition of the majority of the German business of Royal FrieslandCampina N.V, which will see Müller acquire the Landliebe, Mondelice, Südmilch and Puddis brands as well as the Gastro food service.
13. Granarolo
An Italian dairy brand with a rich history, Granarolo ranks thirteenth with a CRP of 144 million.
In December, Granarolo announced it is planning to accelerate its international expansion in Europe and the Americas during 2024. This follows a €160 million capital investment early last year, while the company also recently committed €300 million to growth-related projects.
14. Rama
Known for its margarine products, Rama places fourteenth on the list with a CRP of 144 million.
Rama was created under the umbrella of Unilever Bestfoods Germany.
15. Milram
Owned by Germany's DMK Group, Milram takes fifteenth spot with a CRP of 130 million.
DMK Group is Germany's largest dairy cooperative, reporting €5.5 billion in turnover in 2022 – which the group said was the 'most successful financial year in its history'.
16. Magnum
Magnum secures sixteenth position with a CRP of 127 million.
Owned by Unilever, Magnum was officially launched in Germany in 1989. Its ice creams are now sold in more than 80 countries around the world.
In November, Unilever, the parent company of Magnum, declared that it would offer a free non-exclusive license to the ice cream industry for 12 reformulation patents that will allow ice creams to be stored at a warmer freezer temperature of -12°C, instead of the current industry norm of -18°C. Unilever highlighted that this initiative would result in an energy reduction of approximately 25% per freezer cabinet.
17. La Laitiere
Offering a selection of yogurt and dairy desserts, French brand La Laitiere places seventeenth on the list with a CRP of 127 million.
In 2022, La Laitière was voted one of France's favourite brands, according to a study by OpinionWay.
18. Kerrygold
An Irish butter brand with a global presence, Kerrygold holds eighteenth position with a CRP of 120 million.
Kerrygold is owned by Irish dairy giant Ornua. In October, Ornua invested €40 million in Kerrygold Park, its flagship butter production facility in Mitchelstown, Cork. Ornua said the investment will support Kerrygold’s ambition to become Ireland’s first €2-billion food brand.
19. Lurpak
A Danish brand known for its creamy butter, Lurpak secures nineteenth spot with a CRP of 119 million.
Lurpak is owned by Danish dairy firm Arla. In February, Arla announced that total group revenue had risen by 23.2% to €13.8 billion, up from €11.2 billion in 2021.
20. Danet
Rounding off the top 20 is Danet, also known as Danette in some markets, which boasts a CRP of 116 million.
The desert brand was launched by Danone in 1970. Danone claims Danette products are consumed by more than half of French consumers.
About The Methodology
The Brand Footprint rankings reveal the brands that are winning at that ‘moment of truth’, indicating the number of times that they are chosen by shoppers. Independent of revenue, it exposes the decisions that consumers are making at the point of sale. The consumer reach points (CRPs) of each brand are calculated by multiplying three metrics: the household population, penetration, and consumer choice. CRPs are Kantar’s measure of ranking the most successful brands by the number of times that they are chosen by consumers throughout the year.
Note that all CRP figures shown measure millions of consumer reach points – i.e. a CRP of 150 would indicate 150 million consumer reach points.
For the complete list of most-chosen brands across Europe, log on to www.kantar.com/campaigns/brand-footprint.
