{{Short description|French food company}} {{Infobox company | name = Ultima Foods | image = Ultima Foods logo.svg | brands = Iögo<br>Olympic Dairy | foundation = 1993 | location = Laval, Quebec | location_country = Canada | revenue = CA$ 300 million (approx.)<ref name="agropur-repurchase">{{cite web|url=http://www.agropur.com/wp/en/agropur-acquires-agrifoods-interest-in-ultima-foods/|title=Agropur Acquires Agrifoods' Interest in Ultima Foods|author=Agropur|date=2017-08-31|accessdate=2017-09-02|archive-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902225528/http://www.agropur.com/wp/en/agropur-acquires-agrifoods-interest-in-ultima-foods/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | revenue_year = 2017 | num_employees = 660 | num_employees_year = 2017 | website = {{url|http://ultimayog.ca}} }}
'''Ultima Foods Inc.''' is a Canadian manufacturer and marketer of yogurt and fresh dairy products. Founded in 1993 (with predecessor operations dating to 1971), Ultima Foods is owned by Lactalis. In 2017, the company had 660 employees across the country and annual sales in excess of CA$300 million.<ref name="agropur-repurchase" />
The company launched the '''iögo''' brand of yogurt and fresh dairy products in Canada in mid-August 2012,<ref name="iogo-tm">{{cite web|url=http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/app/opic-cipo/trdmrks/srch/vwTrdmrk.do?lang=eng&status=&fileNumber=1582273|title=Canadian Trade-mark Data: Application no. 1582273|work=Canadian Trade-marks Database|publisher=Canadian Intellectual Property Office|accessdate=2012-08-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Ultima Foods |title=Company Profile |url=http://ultimayog.ca/static/docs/en/BusinessProfile.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810012802/http://ultimayog.ca/static/docs/en/BusinessProfile.pdf |archive-date=2014-08-10 |accessdate=2012-08-11}}</ref> and also owns and operates the Olympic brand of dairy products. Ultima Foods also continues to manufacture (but no longer directly sells) Yoplait-branded products in Canada .
== History ==
In 1971, the Quebec-based Coopérative agricole de Granby (renamed Agropur in 1979)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.agropur.com/en/our-cooperative/our-logo|title=The logo's history|author=Agropur|author-link=Agropur|accessdate=2019-02-15|archive-date=2019-02-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190215215902/https://www.agropur.com/en/our-cooperative/our-logo|url-status=dead}}</ref> obtained the Canadian licence to manufacture and market Yoplait products.<ref name="ultima-history">{{cite web|url=https://www.ultimayog.ca/en/company/story-and-milestones/|title=Ultima Story|author=Ultima Foods|accessdate=2019-02-15}}</ref> In 1993, Agropur's yogurt manufacturing and marketing operations were combined with those of Agrifoods, a federal cooperative owned by 2,500 dairy producers in Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan, forming Ultima Foods.
In 2004, Ultima Foods acquired Olympic Dairy, a manufacturer of premium natural cultured dairy, organic and soy products. For over 30 years, Olympic has produced over 140 different products in a variety of sizes and flavours.<ref name="Olympic Flavours">{{cite web|url=https://www.olympicdairy.com/produits|title=Olympic Products|author=Olympic|accessdate=2019-02-15}}</ref>
On May 8, 2012, Ultima and Yoplait announced they were restructuring their relationship. As of September 1, 2012, General Mills (the brand's longtime United States licensee, and since 2011 a 50% shareholder in the international Yoplait brand) has taken over as the Canadian licensee of the Yoplait brand. Ultima continues to produce Yoplait-branded products at its Granby, Quebec plant, but these products are now marketed and sold by General Mills.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/ultima-and-yoplait-resolve-issues-successfully-reach-agreement-510200961.html|title=Ultima and Yoplait resolve issues, successfully reach agreement|author=Yoplait SAS|date=2012-05-08|accessdate=2012-08-11}}</ref>
Simultaneously, Ultima Foods announced plans to begin producing and marketing its own brand of yogurt and fresh dairy products in Canada, starting in mid-August 2012, later revealed to be ''iögo'' (pronounced "yo-go").<ref name="iogo-tm" /> The new product line is, according to Ultima, "entirely created and manufactured in Canada and [includes] a full and original line of products and flavours that suit the tastes of Canadian consumers."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/ultima-foods-launches-its-own-brand-of-yogurt-in-canada-and-reaches-an-agreement-with-yoplait-510200511.html|title=Ultima Foods launches its own brand of yogurt in Canada and reaches an agreement with Yoplait|author=Ultima Foods|date=2012-05-08|accessdate=2012-08-11}}</ref>
On August 31, 2017, Agropur and Agrifoods announced that they had concluded an agreement pursuant to which Agropur would become the sole owner of Ultima Foods, subject to regulatory approval.<ref name="agropur-repurchase" />
In December 2020, Agropur announced the sale of its yogurt activities in Canada to Lactalis (based in France).<ref name="lactalis-repurchase">{{cite web|url=https://www.agropur.com/fr/nouvelles/toutes-les-nouvelles/transaction-concernant-les-activites-de-yogourt-agropur|title=Transaction concernant les activités de yogourt d'Agropur|author=Agropur|date=2020-12-17|access-date=2021-10-07|archive-date=2021-10-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006232253/https://www.agropur.com/fr/nouvelles/toutes-les-nouvelles/transaction-concernant-les-activites-de-yogourt-agropur|url-status=dead}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://www.ultimayog.ca Ultimayog.ca]
{{Agropur}} Category:Dairy products companies of France Category:Food and drink companies established in 1993
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