| DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH | |
| Type: | GmbH |
| Hq Location: | Zeven, Lower Saxony, Germany |
| Owner: | Deutsches Milchkontor eG (92%) |
| Products: | Dairy |
| Industry: | Food |
| Num Employees: | 7,485 (2021) |
| Revenue: | €5.5 billion (2021) |
| Homepage: | dmk.de |
DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH (DMK) is one of Germany's largest dairy companies. It was formed by the merger of the two cooperatively organized North German companies Humana Milchunion and Nordmilch, which were the two largest German milk processors. With a total revenue of 5.7 billion US$ in 2021, it is one of the 20 largest dairy companies worldwide by turnover.
On February 3, 2011, the agricultural representatives of Nordmilch eG approved the merger of Nordmilch AG and Humana Milchindustrie GmbH to form DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH. The members of Humana eG and the Bad Bibra producers' cooperative, as co-owners of Humana Milchindustrie GmbH, had already approved the merger of their operating subsidiary to form Germany's largest milk processor.[1] The merger was legally retroactive to July 1, 2010 and the joint business operations commenced on May 1, 2011. According to press reports, around 6.7 billion kg of milk, produced by over 11,000 farmers, was processed in the companies united under DMK at the time of the merger.[2] The two companies had already planned a merger in 2004, but this fell through. Nevertheless, they worked closely together, among other things by pooling sales in Nordkontor-Milch GmbH in 2009.[3] On March 10, 2012, it was announced that the cooperatives of both companies with their approximately 11,000 members were also to be merged. On June 20, 2012, the representatives of Nordmilch eG and Humana Milchunion eG voted in favor of the merger.[4]
In November 2012, the company acquired a majority stake in the North Rhine-Westphalian company Rosen Eiskrem. DMK thus became the largest ice cream producer in Germany. The German Federal Cartel Office approved the takeover of Rosen Eiskrem GmbH in Waldfeucht and Rosen Eiskrem Süd GmbH, based in Nuremberg, on March 27, 2013.
In March 2016, the European Commission unconditionally approved the takeover of the second-largest Dutch cheese producer DOC Kaas by way of a merger. DOC Kaas will become a wholly owned subsidiary, but will operate independently and retain its cooperative structure.[5]
DMK Deutsches Milchkontor is majority owned (over 90%) by the cooperative Deutsches Milchkontor eG.
DMK Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH, Zeven
DMK Eis GmbH, Everswinkel (100 %)
DMK is active in the following business areas, among others:[6]
Milk producers criticized the fact that the company's new market power means that there are hardly any alternatives left for them.[7]
Deutsches Milchkontor GmbH has 20 locations in Germany, 2 in the Netherlands and 1 in Voronezh Oblast (Russia) in 2019.[8]