Danone has ramped up its presence in Australia with the acquisition of health-focused Made Group, as well as buying out the remaining 49% of its joint venture with Saputo Dairy Australia.
Made Group is a “fast-growing” company with brands in vitamin-fortified waters, functional dairy drinks, and premium yoghurt and coconut products. Based in Australia, several of its brands are distributed throughout south east Asia.
The group is vertically integrated and took sales of more than €300m for the year to June 2026, with double-digit growth each year, according to Danone.
Danone said it would represent a “meaningful contributor” to Danone’s Essential Dairy and Plant-based (EDP) business in the region, with a positive contribution due to its profits from its first year under Danone’s control.
“With its strong portfolio of brands and healthy nutritional products, focusing on gut health and protein, Made shows an impressive track record of rapid and profitable growth. We share the same belief in health through food and are excited to welcome them into the Danone family,” said the French group’s CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique.
Made Group CEO Amanda Butler said the investment from Danone would help Made access new infrastructure, capabilities and R&D expertise to accelerate its growth.
“We are proud of what the team has built, and excited about what comes next.”
Separately, Danone’s buyout of Saputo Dairy Australia from their joint venture would further “enhance [Danone’s] operational flexibility”, Saint-Affrique said. The acquisition is expected to add around €100m of consolidated sales to Danone’s balance sheet.
“This is another example of our Renew strategy at work: combining a strong focus on organic growth with targeted investments that further enhance our ability to meet demand for healthy nutrition.”
“Danone’s management has explicitly called out Australia as a standout functional market, comparing it directly to Japan – one of their strongest-performing EDP geographies,” said Barclays analyst Warren Ackerman.
“Made Group’s portfolio looks to be a very complimentary fit with Danone’s existing Australian EDP portfolio, with a focus on high-protein, low-sugar and plant-based hydration formats.”
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