Ａ Ｗｏｒｌｄ Ｌｅａｄｅｒ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ Ｄａｉｒｙ Ｉｎｄｕｓｔｒｙ

Ｂｙ　ＹＩ　ＦＡＮ

IF you walk into the pastures of Mengniu, which means Mongolian cow, you will find yourself surrounded by world-class standards – from the best imported grass sourced from 12 countries and thousands of strong breeds of cows from around the world to the state-of-the-art milking facilities.

The cows are the kings here with their own “dining rooms,” “bedrooms and “offices.” Music is always played during their milking, while the enclosures where they rest are equipped with a hi-tech cleaning system. No matter how the cows move, they will get a thorough cleaning.Mengniu workers spare no efforts to take care of the cows, as they know well that a happy cow means more milk.

The advanced pastures are matched by the Tetra-Pak factory with its cutting-edge technologies. The entire transportation chain ensures that every drop of milk remains fresh over the few hours it takes to reach the processing center.

The story of Mengniu is one of rapid growth over a decade. In 2007, it became the biggest milk provider in China and the global champion of the sales of UHT (Ultra-High Temperature) milk, with takings of RMB 21.3 billion. According to the International Dairy Federation (IDF), half of the industry increase in the world came from China that year, while Mengniu contributed half of Chinas increase. In October 2006, the company was honored with the Creative Award at the 27th IDF World Dairy Conference.

Mengniu has made rapid inroads into the overseas market and is the leading milk exporter of China. In Hong Kong, for example, the Inner Mongolia company, accounting for half the total dairy sales volume, was listed as one of the top 10 supermarket brands for three years. Other prizes include the 2005 Philippine Market Promotion Award and the inclusion in the list of the Top 500 Asian Brands.

Mengniu has always attached great importance to its social responsibilities. It has helped three million dairy farmers develop their own business and also invested RMB 45 million in February 2008 to build a livestock marsh gas power station, the largest in the world.

Mengniu has donated to the fight against SARS, the Indian Ocean Tsunami relief, to victims of the snowstorm in early 2008 and to the Sichuan Earthquake relief efforts.

In 2006, it cooperated with the Dairy Association of China, China Education Development Foundation and State Office of School Milk, to send milk to 1,000 primary schools in poverty-stricken areas. The company has given more than RMB 200 million to this cause.

Mengnius cooperation with well-known Danish milk producers Arla Foods and the food-packaging leader, Tetra-Pak, has brought in new ideas about technology and management.

In 2007, the company invested RMB 1.2 billion to build an advanced high-tech dairy research center and automated production base. Such investment in technical innovation boosts its aim to become a global milk magnate.