Nov. 18 - Italian excellence and safety standards are the keywords to work in China, a country increasing its attention towards Italy’s experiences. For the dairy sector, Sterilgarda signed an agreement with the Chinese milk "giant" Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Company Limited. Sterilgarda produces quality milk, conscious and respectful of traditional Italian standards. The Modena-based company is the third largest Italian milk producer, after Parmalat and Granarolo; and is ready to export milk to the Yili Group, the largest Chinese dairy producer.  Sterilgarda milk will be sold throughout China by Yili under its own brand. Listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, the Yili Group reported during the first nine months of 2013 operating revenues of $ 5.9 billion. Sterilgarda’s CEO, Fernando Sarzi, explained during the presentation of the partnership in Shanghai that "China is the market recording the fastest growth and Yili represents the first brand in the Chinese dairy sector. Our company has always relied on innovation, made in Italy and well-being, offering its partners food safety guarantees in respect of tradition." The executive president of the Yili Group, Zhang Jianqiu, highlighted in his speech how globalization is an irreversible trend for the Chinese dairy sector and added: "Sterilgarda will be one of the most important partners for us. I think that cooperation today is only a starting point for Chinese consumers, who are more and more similar to international consumers in terms of dairy consumption behavior."

STERILGARDA

Sterilgarda is a leader in the dairy industry and in fruit-based beverages. Founded in 1969 in Castiglione delle Stiviere (Mantova), in 2012 it had a turnover of €310 million. It directly employs 280 workers, and has sales channels in GD, DO, Ho: Ho.Re.Ca. and the food industry. The range of Sterilgarda products consists of milk, yogurt, cream, sauce, mascarpone cheese, ricotta cheese, cheese spreads, milk based desserts (puddings and panna cotta), fruit juices, tomato sauce, and tea. Sterilgarda, thanks to its investments in technology, managed to radically innovate the milk sector with products such as UHT and micro-filtered milk, offering the highest standards in food safety and shelf life, while maintaining the taste and the organoleptic properties of the milk. Thanks to the acquired know -how, Sterilgarda established itself as the national and international benchmark for innovation in the dairy industry, and in that of fruit juices, thanks to the recent launch of the “Pure Juice” line.