Granarolo has acquired West Horsley Dairy to strengthen the company’s footprint in the United Kingdom and boost customer reach, particularly across the London market.
West Horsley Dairy is a distributor of dairy products (milk, cream, cheese, yoghurt) and breakfast products, founded by Philip and Catherine Colton in 1992. It operates with 73 employees and a fleet of 43 refrigerated vehicles that deliver to London and the south-east of England, reaching approximately 500 customers, mainly restaurants, pubs and hotels. In 2024, turnover was approximately £16m.
Granarolo’s operations in the UK market are managed by its local entity, Granarolo UK Ltd. The company achieved significant expansion in February 2018 by acquiring the Midland Food Group, securing a robust distribution channel for fresh, ambient, and frozen products across the UK.
“Consolidation in the UK is an important part of the Group’s growth policy abroad,” said Gianpiero Calzolari, chairman of Granarolo S.p.A. “The plan is to significantly increase the volume of Italian dairy products in the UK, focusing on the Horeca and food service markets in London, where West Horsley has consolidated its presence.”
“Over the course of the year, we aim to integrate West Horsley’s product portfolio with our wide range of fresh and mature Italian cheeses such as Mozzarella, Burrata, Stracciatella, Mascarpone, Parmigiano Reggiano PDO, Gorgonzola PDO and Pecorino PDO, as well as other Italian specialities,” added Anthony Bosco, CEO of Granarolo UK.
Philip and Catherine Colton, founders of West Horsley Dairy, said: “We are delighted to sell our company to a company like Granarolo, which has made the quality of its products a core value. We are confident that it will maximise the value of West Horsley’s offering by expanding it, to the satisfaction of the many customers who have placed their trust in us over the years.”