Danone to buy Australia’s MADE Group, expand dairy control

Danone is moving to tighten its grip on Australia with two linked deals: the purchase of MADE Group and the remaining 49% stake in Danone Saputo Dairy Australia. The French food group did not disclose either price, but said both transactions should close in the second half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.

The larger strategic point is clear. MADE Group gives Danone faster access to a health-oriented portfolio built around high-protein ready-to-drink products, gut-health yoghurts and coconut-based products, areas where premium positioning has been outpacing mass-market packaged food. Danone said MADE generated more than €300 million in sales for the fiscal year ending June 2026 and has a significant presence in Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, where local brands and distribution networks carry real weight.

MADE’s own history helps explain why Danone sees more than a single-brand tuck-in. The business began in 2005 with NutrientWater, launched Cocobella in 2010, added ROKEBY in 2013 and Impressed in 2014, then moved in 2019 into a purpose-built 15,500 square meter manufacturing facility in Melbourne. MADE says Cocobella became Australia’s number one coconut water and coconut yoghurt brand, giving Danone an established platform in a category that has become closely tied to wellness and functional nutrition.

The other half of the deal matters just as much. Danone had already lifted its stake in Danone Saputo Dairy Australia to 51% on February 12, 2026, after exercising a call option, a step it said would lead to financial consolidation of the business. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says the joint venture manufactures and wholesales fresh dairy products in Australia and supplies Activia, Liddells, Ultimate and YoPro, along with Aldi private-label brands Premiere and Yoguri.

That makes the move look less like a routine acquisition and more like a consolidation of Danone’s Australian footprint across branded health products, fresh dairy and private label supply. Danone said the transactions would be accretive to operating margin and earnings per share from year one, signaling that management expects the deal to improve profitability as well as scale. For global food groups, the message is increasingly familiar: growth is coming from functional beverages, premium local brands and tighter control of regional supply chains, not from traditional mass-market categories alone.