Dairy Crest Group plc was a prominent British dairy products company, renowned for its portfolio of market-leading brands including Cathedral City cheese, Clover dairy spread, Country Life butter, and Frylight cooking spray. Originating in 1981 from the demerger of the Milk Marketing Board's processing division, Dairy Crest established itself as a major force in the UK dairy sector through product innovation and strong brand development. In April 2019, Dairy Crest was acquired by Canadian dairy giant Saputo Inc. for approximately £975 million. The operations and brands of Dairy Crest are now part of Saputo Dairy UK, which continues to produce and market these iconic British dairy products.
The headquarters served as the central hub for Dairy Crest's corporate functions, including strategic management, finance, marketing, human resources, and legal affairs for its UK-wide operations.
Claygate House was a modern office building providing a functional and collaborative environment for corporate staff. No specific unique architectural features are widely publicized; it was a typical corporate head office.
The work culture at Dairy Crest was generally characterized by a focus on quality, innovation in product development (especially for its key brands), and operational efficiency within the competitive fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. There was an emphasis on heritage and British provenance for many of its products.
The Esher headquarters was significant as the command center for one of the UK's largest dairy food companies, overseeing the strategy and operations that brought popular dairy brands to millions of consumers.
While Dairy Crest's primary market was the United Kingdom, it had a notable international presence through the export of its key brands, particularly Cathedral City cheese. These products were sold in various countries, including Ireland, the USA, Canada, Australia, and parts of Europe. Global functions supported these export activities, including international sales, marketing adaptations, and supply chain management. Following the acquisition by Saputo, these brands now benefit from Saputo's extensive global network and resources.
Claygate House, Littleworth Road
Esher
Surrey
United Kingdom
Address: Davidstow Creamery, Davidstow, Camelford, Cornwall, PL32 9XW, UK
Strategically located in a prime milk-producing region, leveraging local Cornish milk to produce high-quality cheese for the UK and international markets.
Address: Dairy Crest Kirkby, Moorgate Road, Knowsley Industrial Park, Kirkby, L33 7XN, UK
Served as a key manufacturing hub for Dairy Crest's spreads portfolio, with good transport links for national distribution.
Address: Dairy Crest National Distribution Centre, Bermuda Park, St Davids Way, Nuneaton, CV10 7SD, UK
Centralized national distribution operations to ensure efficient and timely delivery of products to retailers and customers across the UK.
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As of April 2025, Dairy Crest' leadership includes:
Dairy Crest has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:
Dairy Crest was acquired by Saputo Inc. in April 2019 and ceased to exist as an independent publicly traded company. Consequently, there have been no executive hires or exits attributable to 'Dairy Crest' as a standalone entity in the last 12 months or since its acquisition. Leadership for its former operations is now part of Saputo Dairy UK's structure.
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Prior to its acquisition by Saputo Inc., Dairy Crest likely utilized common corporate email patterns. Based on typical UK company conventions, formats often included combinations of first name, last name, or initials. The domain used was '@dairycrest.co.uk'. These formats are now historical and emails to this domain are no longer active for the former Dairy Crest entity.
[first].[last]@dairycrest.co.uk or [first_initial][last]@dairycrest.co.uk
Format
jane.doe@dairycrest.co.uk or jdoe@dairycrest.co.uk
Example
70%
Success rate
Reuters • April 15, 2019
Canadian dairy company Saputo Inc. announced it had completed its acquisition of British dairy processor Dairy Crest Group Plc for about 975 million pounds ($1.27 billion)....more
BBC News • February 22, 2019
Dairy Crest, the maker of brands including Cathedral City cheese, Clover spread and Frylight cooking oil, has agreed to be bought by Canadian dairy giant Saputo. The deal values the UK company at £975m....more
Food Manufacture • November 15, 2018
Dairy Crest posted a 2% rise in interim pre-tax profit to £18.4M, driven by strong performances from its Cathedral City, Clover, Frylight and Country Life brands in the six months to September 30 2018....more
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