Italy has one of Europe’s largest and most fragmented dairy industries. The market combines multinational groups, large cooperatives, family manufacturers and regional producers making milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, cream and specialist Italian dairy.
Five companies stand out for scale, national importance and supermarket relevance: Lactalis Italia, Granarolo, Latteria Soresina, Sterilgarda and Bergmilch Südtirol/Mila.
They are not directly comparable in every category. Lactalis Italia leads the overall Italian dairy industry and controls major brands including Parmalat, Galbani and Ambrosi. Granarolo is a large Italian integrated dairy group. Latteria Soresina is one of the country’s most important farmer cooperatives and a world leader in Grana Padano production. Sterilgarda is a major privately owned milk and chilled-dairy manufacturer. Bergmilch Südtirol/Mila is South Tyrol’s largest dairy cooperative.
: Lactalis is the largest dairy group operating in Italy by current industry production value. Granarolo reported €1.813 billion in 2025 revenue. Latteria Soresina reported €602 million. Sterilgarda generated €538.1 million. Bergmilch Südtirol/Mila generated about €324 million.
Top dairy companies in Italy
| Company | Head office / main base | Main dairy categories | Current scale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lactalis Italia | Milano / multi-site Italy network | Milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter, cream | Largest Italian dairy group by 2025 production value |
| Granarolo | Bologna | Milk, cheese, yoghurt, cream, fresh dairy | €1.813bn 2025 group revenue |
| Latteria Soresina | Soresina, Cremona | Grana Padano, butter, milk, Provolone, Gorgonzola | €602m 2025 consolidated revenue |
| Sterilgarda | Castiglione delle Stiviere | Milk, cream, yoghurt, mascarpone, ricotta | €538.1m 2025 revenue; 396 employees |
| Bergmilch Südtirol / Mila | Bolzano | Milk, yoghurt, cheese, butter and regional dairy | €324m 2025 revenue; 637 employees |
Why Italy’s dairy market is different
Italy is not only a drinking-milk market.
Cheese is central to the industry.
Products such as:
- Parmigiano Reggiano;
- Grana Padano;
- Gorgonzola;
- Mozzarella;
- Mascarpone;
- Provolone;
- Ricotta;
- Burrata;
- regional mountain cheeses;
create a much more specialised manufacturing landscape than a market dominated only by fresh milk.
Italy’s dairy production value reached roughly US$33.6 billion in 2025, with more than 10,000 businesses operating in the wider dairy industry. The top five groups still represented only around 15% of total production value, showing how fragmented the market remains.
That fragmentation gives supermarkets a choice between multinational scale and highly regional specialist suppliers.
How we selected the five companies
The ranking uses a combination of:
- current Italian dairy scale;
- 2025 revenue where available;
- production footprint;
- retail relevance;
- milk supply and farmer network;
- category strength;
- current market position.
We do not use the small turnover of an Italian holding or wholesale entity as if it represented the full value of a multinational group’s Italian dairy operations.
1. Lactalis Italia
Lactalis is the largest dairy group operating in Italy.
Current Italian industry research places Groupe Lactalis Italia first by production value, with approximately 5.5% of Italy’s dairy industry production value in 2025.
History in Italy
Lactalis expanded heavily in Italy through acquisitions.
Important Italian dairy businesses and brands that became part of the group include:
- Galbani;
- Parmalat;
- Invernizzi;
- Vallelata;
- Ambrosi;
- other regional and specialist cheese businesses.
This acquisition strategy gave Lactalis a strong presence across almost every major dairy category.
Head office and Italian operations
Lactalis Italia is headquartered in Milan, while manufacturing is spread across a large network of Italian plants.
The Italian business is not one factory and one legal company.
It is a group of operating businesses covering milk, cheese, fresh dairy and specialised products.
Products and brands
The portfolio includes:
- fluid milk;
- fresh milk;
- UHT milk;
- cheese;
- mozzarella;
- mascarpone;
- yoghurt;
- butter;
- cream;
- dairy ingredients.
Brands such as Parmalat and Galbani give Lactalis strong supermarket visibility.
Group scale
Lactalis reported global 2025 revenue of approximately €31.2 billion and around 85,500 employees worldwide.
Those are global numbers, not Italian figures.
We do not present them as Italy-only revenue or employment.
Italian market share
Current industry data places Lactalis at about 5.5% of total Italian dairy production value in 2025.
That may sound low for a market leader, but Italy’s dairy sector is extremely fragmented.
Valuation
Lactalis is privately held.
There is no public stock-market capitalisation.
Why Lactalis matters to supermarkets
Its advantage is category breadth.
A retailer can negotiate with the group across milk, mozzarella, speciality cheese and other chilled dairy.
That creates buying efficiency but also increases supplier concentration.
2. Granarolo
Granarolo is one of Italy’s largest domestically rooted dairy groups.
The company is headquartered in Bologna and has a strong cooperative milk-supply base through Granlatte.
2025 revenue
Granarolo reported €1.813 billion in consolidated revenue for 2025.
Revenue increased by roughly 5% on a comparable basis.
EBITDA reached €100.5 million.
Net profit was approximately €5.5 million.
International sales
About 40% of Granarolo’s revenue now comes from international markets.
Italy still represents around 60% of turnover.
Europe contributes around 33%, while markets outside Europe account for roughly 7%.
Milk supply
Granarolo reports around 488 dairy farmers across 11 Italian regions within its milk-supply base.
This gives the group meaningful control over Italian-origin milk.
Manufacturing sites
Granarolo reports:
- 13 manufacturing plants in Italy;
- 8 plants outside Italy.
The group has continued investing in Italian cheese capacity, including a new site in Gioia del Colle focused on southern Italian specialities such as burrata.
Products
Granarolo manufactures:
- fresh milk;
- UHT milk;
- yoghurt;
- cream;
- butter;
- mozzarella;
- hard and fresh cheese;
- lactose-free dairy;
- plant-based alternatives.
Market position
Granarolo describes itself as Italy’s number-one player in standard refrigerated and ambient milk.
Employees and valuation
Current group employee numbers vary by reporting scope and are not repeated here unless clearly tied to the 2025 reporting period.
Granarolo is not valued through a public stock-market capitalisation.
Why Granarolo matters
It combines domestic milk supply with national retail distribution and international growth.
That makes it an important alternative to multinational dairy groups for Italian supermarkets.
3. Latteria Soresina
Latteria Soresina is one of Italy’s most important dairy cooperatives.
It was founded in 1900 by 19 dairy farmers.
2025 revenue
The cooperative reported approximately €602 million in consolidated revenue for 2025.
This followed revenue of around €600 million in 2024.
Major 2026 structural change
On 1 October 2026, Latteria Soresina completed its merger with Saviola.
Saviola had already been fully controlled by Latteria Soresina and generated more than €140 million in turnover, mainly through Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano.
The merger further strengthens the cooperative’s hard-cheese position.
What does Latteria Soresina produce?
The portfolio includes:
- Grana Padano;
- Parmigiano Reggiano;
- Provolone;
- Gorgonzola;
- butter;
- milk;
- other Italian dairy products.
Grana Padano leadership
Latteria Soresina is recognised as the world’s largest producer of Grana Padano PDO.
This gives the company exceptional scale in one of Italy’s most important protected cheeses.
Head office
The cooperative is based in Soresina in the province of Cremona.
Its operations are deeply connected to the dairy farming economy of Lombardy.
Farmer ownership
The cooperative structure means farmer members supply milk and share in the long-term economics of the business.
This creates a different ownership model from privately owned or multinational dairy companies.
Employees and valuation
A current exact 2026 group employee figure was not clearly disclosed in the primary material reviewed.
As a cooperative, Latteria Soresina does not have a public stock-market valuation.
Market share
The clearest category leadership is in Grana Padano production rather than a single share of all Italian dairy.
Why it matters to supermarkets
Hard cheese is a high-value dairy category.
Latteria Soresina can supply scale while retaining strong Italian origin and PDO credentials.
4. Sterilgarda
Sterilgarda is one of Italy’s largest independent dairy manufacturers.
The company was founded in 1969 in Castiglione delle Stiviere in Lombardy.
2025 revenue and profit
Sterilgarda generated €538.14 million in revenue in 2025.
Net profit was approximately €15.43 million.
Employees
The company had around 396 employees in 2026.
History
Sterilgarda grew alongside the expansion of UHT technology in Italy.
Its early focus was milk and cream packaged in aseptic cartons.
The company later expanded into:
- mascarpone;
- ricotta;
- spreadable cheese;
- yoghurt;
- puddings;
- panna cotta;
- béchamel;
- fruit drinks.
Production lines
Sterilgarda reports:
- 31 production lines for milk, juices, cream and related products;
- 4 production lines for yoghurt, pudding and panna cotta;
- 10 production lines for mascarpone, ricotta and spreadable cheese.
Automation
The company has invested heavily in automated production and warehousing.
Its automated warehouse can handle more than 750,000 pallets annually.
Retail customers
Sterilgarda explicitly supplies:
- hypermarkets;
- supermarkets;
- grocery stores.
Certifications
The company lists BRC, IFS, SEDEX, FDA and Halal certifications across relevant operations or products.
Valuation
Sterilgarda is privately held.
No public market valuation is available.
Why Sterilgarda matters
Its strongest advantage is manufacturing depth in both ambient and fresh dairy.
That makes it useful to retailers seeking milk, cream and chilled products from one large Italian producer.
5. Bergmilch Südtirol / Mila
Bergmilch Südtirol is South Tyrol’s largest dairy cooperative and markets products under the Mila brand.
The current cooperative was formed through the merger of Mila and Senni in 2013.
2025/2026 scale
Current business-register data shows approximately €323.98 million in 2025 revenue.
The cooperative employs around 637 people in 2026.
Farmer members
Bergmilch has historically represented more than 2,000 farmer members across South Tyrol.
Milk collection takes place across mountain farms, where average farm size is much smaller than in intensive lowland dairy regions.
Products
Mila’s range includes:
- milk;
- yoghurt;
- cheese;
- butter;
- cream;
- fresh dairy;
- regional South Tyrolean products.
Regional identity
South Tyrol gives Mila a distinctive supermarket position.
The brand can compete around:
- mountain origin;
- farmer cooperative ownership;
- regional quality;
- alpine milk supply.
2026 consolidation
Bergmilch Südtirol has been moving towards closer integration with Brimi, another important South Tyrolean dairy cooperative.
The combined structure is expected to process a very large share of the region’s milk.
Valuation
As a cooperative, Bergmilch Südtirol does not have a public market capitalisation.
Market share
The company is the dominant dairy cooperative in South Tyrol, but a current audited percentage share of the total Italian dairy market is not meaningful because its strength is regional.
Why Mila matters
Its advantage is provenance.
Large national dairies compete on scale. Mila can compete on mountain origin, farmer ownership and regional identity.
How Italy’s top dairy companies compare
| Company | Main strength | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Lactalis Italia | National category breadth and brands | Large multi-category supermarket programmes |
| Granarolo | Italian milk supply plus national scale | Milk, fresh dairy and cheese |
| Latteria Soresina | Grana Padano and cooperative cheese scale | Hard cheese and Italian PDO dairy |
| Sterilgarda | UHT plus chilled dairy manufacturing | Milk, cream, mascarpone and fresh dairy |
| Mila | South Tyrolean regional identity | Premium regional and alpine dairy |
What should supermarket buyers compare?
- Category strength: milk, yoghurt and cheese are different businesses.
- Milk supply: own farmers, cooperative farmers or open-market purchasing?
- Factory network: where will the SKU actually be produced?
- Certifications: check the exact site.
- Origin claims: Italian milk, regional milk or imported ingredients?
- Private label: does the supplier manufacture retailer brands?
- Capacity: can production handle promotions?
- Shelf life: especially for fresh dairy.
- Logistics: chilled delivery frequency matters.
- Innovation: lactose-free, protein and premium categories are growing.
Why Italian cheese changes the market
Italy has a much deeper protected-origin cheese structure than many countries.
PDO products have strict rules around:
- geography;
- milk;
- production method;
- maturation;
- certification.
This makes cheese procurement partly a regulatory and provenance decision, not only a manufacturing one.
Why UHT milk remains important
Italy has a substantial ambient milk market.
UHT milk offers:
- long shelf life;
- easy storage before opening;
- lower chilled-logistics demand;
- export flexibility.
Sterilgarda built much of its history around this technology.
How private label fits into Italian dairy
Italian supermarkets source own-label milk, yoghurt, cheese and other dairy alongside major brands.
Large dairies can manufacture retailer-owned products where commercial strategy allows.
GTN’s European private-label dairy manufacturer guide looks specifically at manufacturers that actively promote private-label capability.
Which Italian dairy company is the largest?
Lactalis is the largest company in Italian dairy by current production-value share.
Among the Italian-rooted groups with publicly reported consolidated turnover, Granarolo is the largest in this shortlist at €1.813 billion in 2025.
Which company has the highest reported Italian revenue?
Granarolo reports €1.813 billion at group level.
Latteria Soresina reports €602 million.
Sterilgarda reports €538.1 million.
Bergmilch Südtirol reports approximately €324 million.
Which company is strongest in Grana Padano?
Latteria Soresina is recognised as the world’s largest Grana Padano producer.
Which company is strongest in UHT milk?
Lactalis through Parmalat, Granarolo and Sterilgarda all have major UHT capability.
Sterilgarda has a particularly deep historical association with UHT production.
Which company is strongest in supermarket brands?
Lactalis has the widest recognised consumer-brand portfolio.
Granarolo and Mila also have strong brand recognition in their core markets.
What is changing in Italian dairy?
Five trends stand out:
- consolidation;
- more international sales;
- higher-value cheese;
- lactose-free and high-protein innovation;
- greater factory automation.
Granarolo’s new strategic plan also points towards greater manufacturing specialisation and internationalisation.
How does packaging affect Italian dairy?
Dairy packaging has to protect milk, yoghurt and cheese while meeting increasingly strict European sustainability rules.
Our European dairy packaging suppliers comparison covers carton, flexible and rigid-packaging suppliers serving this market.
Frequently asked questions
What is Italy’s largest dairy company?
Lactalis is the largest dairy group operating in Italy by 2025 industry production-value share.
How much revenue did Granarolo make in 2025?
€1.813 billion.
How much revenue did Sterilgarda make in 2025?
Approximately €538.1 million.
How many employees does Sterilgarda have?
About 396 employees in 2026.
How much revenue did Latteria Soresina make?
Its 2025 consolidated turnover was about €602 million.
Who makes the most Grana Padano?
Latteria Soresina is recognised as the world’s largest producer of Grana Padano PDO.
What is Mila?
Mila is the main consumer brand of Bergmilch Südtirol, South Tyrol’s largest dairy cooperative.
Is Granarolo Italian owned?
Granarolo remains an Italian dairy group with a strong cooperative milk-supply structure through Granlatte.
Is Lactalis Italian?
No. Lactalis is French-owned, but it has a very large Italian manufacturing and brand portfolio.
Does Italy export dairy?
Yes. Cheese and specialist dairy are major export categories, and several leading groups generate substantial revenue outside Italy.
Editor’s Note: Revenue, market position and company scale were checked against current 2025–2026 financial and industry sources.
