Ammerland

The history of the Ammerland brand begins in 1885, when seven farmers in northern Germany joined forces to create one of the first dairy cooperatives in the region. These farmers aimed to produce dairy products and sell them, and the collected profit was distributed equally among the members of the cooperative.

Later, in 1948, numerous dairies in Ammerland successfully began producing cheese. Things are going so well that by 1960 more than 70 percent of the milk supplied was used to make cheese.

In 1956, agriculture received an impetus for modernization and growth through the Green Plan funding program, which led to the spread of technical innovation on dairies and farms.

The introduction of new technologies in milk production in the early 1960s meant that pumps, refrigeration, large tanks and trucks replaced the more traditional methods of milk collection.

At the beginning of the turning point in 1989, there were also several associations in Ammerland: the dairy cooperatives Westerstede, Wiefelstede, Oldenburg, Jaderberg, Altjührden and Apen, which merged into Milchwerke Ammerland-Oldenburg eG. The new main plant in Wiefelstede-Dringenburg started operations in April 1990, and a year later a workshop for the production of cheeses and whey concentrates was opened. Thanks to the high quality of the products from the very beginning, Milchwerke Ammerland-Oldenburg eG received the international quality certificate ISO 9002 in July 1994.

According to the resolution of the General Assembly of May 26, 2000, Milchwerke Ammerland-Oldenburg eG changed its name to Molkerei Ammerland eG.

In 2001, Molkerei Ammerland launches its own brand of dairy products, "Ammerländer". The name emphasizes the origin of the first dairy and the place of modern production. In the following years, the brand successfully developed both at the national and international levels.

In 2003, the "Ammerländer" dairy plant switches to independent sales, products are sold under the Ammerländer brand or directly to retail customers.

Molkerei Ammerland established its first international branch in Budapest, Hungary in 2004, which developed successfully and over time other subsidiaries appeared around the world, such as Ammerland Asia Pacific (2012), Ammerland Ibérica (2014), Ammerland America (2016) and Ammerland Trading (2017).

Since the beginning of the 2000s, the international export business has been constantly expanding. In 2008, Ammerland, which already exported its products to more than 50 countries on five continents, sold more than 40% of its products to international markets.

In 2009, the Ammerland dairy achieved a historical record by processing more than 1 billion kilograms of milk, which is four times more than at the start of production at the Dringenburg plant.

At the beginning of 2010, the Ammerland dairy celebrates its 125th anniversary, during which the chronicle of the cooperative "Irresistible. Since 1885. The history of the dairy company Ammerland eG" is presented to the public.

2014 was marked by the completion of the construction of an automated multi-level warehouse for 22,000 places and a second powder spraying tower for the production of up to 160 tons of dry whey per day at the headquarters in Wiefelstede-Dringenburg.

In 2015, the Oldenburg plant added an ultra-high-temperature facility for the production of long-term milk and expanded storage capacity: more than 2,200 places in the UHT milk warehouse and around 3,000 in the fresh product warehouse.

And already in 2017, the new Käserei IV cheese factory was put into operation at the factory in Dringenburg - a modern dairy plant with an area of 14,000 square meters, which has expanded production capabilities and a fully automated system. In the same year, the Ammerland dairy produces products from pasture milk under the auspices of "PRO WEIDELAND - Deutsche Weidecharta". The "PRO WEIDELAND" label guarantees consumers that by purchasing such a product, they contribute to animal welfare and support the pastures and biodiversity of northern Germany. Since September 2017, the Ammerland dairy has started processing organic milk from its own sources, making it the first large producer in Lower Saxony to introduce this practice.

Ammerländer organic milk was launched in 2018 in environmentally friendly packaging made from renewable raw materials. Molkerei Ammerland is the first company in Germany at the time to use such packaging for its organic milk.

In 2020, due to the impact of the pandemic, the cooperative held its general meeting in the Wüsting drive-in cinema. Despite the consequences of the coronavirus, the dairy processed more than 2 billion kg of milk for the first time and earned more than 1 billion euros.