Yilli’s cheese product portfolio
Interview ¦ IDM
Three billion RMB were invested in Yili’s Oceania Dairy
Production Base in New Zealand
IDM: Is Yili processing solely own milk or do you also make use of
imported milk or whey powders, respectively MPC or WPC?
Yun: Yili actively combines high-quality resources all over the world
for better products. We have milk supply from the world's golden
milk source belt across Asia, Europe, Oceania, and America.
In New Zealand, three billion RMB was invested to build the
Yili Oceania Dairy Production Base. Yili later purchased Westland
Milk Products, the second largest dairy enterprise in the local market,
and has continuously enhanced cooperation with local farms.
High-quality milk sources from New Zealand are used in products
such as Satine New Zealand High-End Organic Milk and Jinglingguan
RuiHu Milk Powder, providing consumers with more choices.
Imported whey powder, MPC, and WPC are currently used as ingredients
in infant formula milk powder, yogurt, ice cream, and so on.
IDM: How is Yili’s cheese business doing?
Yun: Yili has set up a business unit for cheese. In the first half of
2021, the retail market share of Yili cheese products increased by
6.7 percentage points YoY, and the retail sales more than tripled
over the same period. Yili now has products such as Cheese Bar for
Kids, Wonderful Cheese Pocket Cheese Bar for Adults, and Mozzarella
Shredded. In 2020, Yili launched a series of professional dairy
products named “Oriental Inspiration”. In the field of reprocessed
cheese, Yili innovatively developed and launched the “squeezable
cheese” which contains five times the calcium of milk and dietary
fiber that help children digest better.
The cheese market has strong growth prospects in China, and it will
be one of our key businesses. Driven by the upgrading of consumption
and consumer trends shifting towards health, the nutritional
value of cheese has been gradually recognized by Chinese consumers.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing transition from “drinking milk”
to “eating milk”. While the catering, hotel, and baking industries
are developed rapidly and use cheese as an important food ingredient,
there are major opportunities for the cheese business to grow
further.
IDM: Looking at the Chinese economy: what is the influence of the
government in Yili’s decisions and strategy?
Yun: Yili abides by local laws and regulations and fulfils its corporate
social responsibilities both in China and other markets.
The Healthy China 2030 Plan sets out China’s long-term approach
to promote public health and fitness and upgrade the related industries.
Dairy products and other healthy foods, which provide abundant
nutrition, are important to healthy living. Yili will take advantage
of the improving industrial chain and invest more in R&D to
provide consumers with more diversified product choices.
The Chinese government has announced the goals of achieving
peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. In
response to the national climate goals, Yili has undertaken corresponding
social responsibilities. We have taken the lead in committing
to achieving carbon neutrality on schedule through a series of
actions, such as improving energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse
gas emissions on farms, and building green factories. In 2021, Yili
launched the official Carbon Neutralization Project, measuring the
carbon footprint of liquid milk, ice cream, milk powder, yogurt, and
other product lines through their whole life cycle.
November/December 2021 ¦ international-dairy.com · 19
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