withen Dairy was founded in Cornwall’s n Valley in 1994. Known initially for milk, clotted cream and butter, the business ained family-run for several decades. In 2024, it was acquired by leading German Ehrmann. Trewithen CEO Paul Berne explained annah Barnett how the acquisition is more ut maintaining consistency than a dramatic nge in direction.
ASa business that has grown significantly over the last 30 years, Trewithen Dairy is staying true to its roots. In the competitive dairy market, the company’s blend of corporate success and pride in its heritage is a significant strength.
“We stand out because we’ve got the ability to provide a wide range of products in a very robust way,” said Paul Berne, CEO. “We’re big enough to be able to do things effectively and small enough to care.”
Starting small
The Trewithen Dairy origin story begins with the business as a cottage industry. Founders Bill and Rachel Clarke started bottling milk and clotted cream, direct from their dairy herd to the local market.
“They were doing it in the evenings when their children were in bed,” explained Mr Berne. “But it became popular, and they had to start buying milk from a neighbouring farm. And then two or three neighbouring farms. It got to a point where it became obvious that they couldn’t do both things at once –be a dairy farm and a food manufacturing operation – so they took the difficult decision to sell the herd.”
Once the company was approached by larger retailers, the business began to significantly invest in growth and expanded its portfolio so that it could make butter and yoghurts too. This has allowed the brand to become well recognised regionally, with a good reputation for products, staff and farming standards.
“In the last five years, we’ve seen significant growth levels,” said Mr Berne. “We are now serviced by 40 dedicated Cornish farmers, and we’ve got a wide base of customers by supplying multiple areas of the market, including local wholesalers, national retailers and food manufacturers. We pride ourselves on the products being of a high quality and sourced from a beautiful part of the world.”
Trewithen now directly employs 270 people onsite and comfortably processes 120 million litres of milk a year, with a turnover of £95 million.
Acquisition tales
When Trewithen was acquired by Ehrmann in June, it marked the conclusion of a 12month process.
Ehrmann is a well-known, large-scale, German dairy business with a strong European footprint. The acquisition works
successfully, largely thanks to both companies having plenty in common.
“At its core, Ehrmann is very much the same kind of business as Trewithen,”
Mr Berne reflected. “It is independent, and family owned. Christian Ehrmann leads the business in the third generation. It’s based in a beautiful, green, dairy farming part of southwest Germany, just like Cornwall. So, there’s quite a lot of correlations between the two businesses.Though, clearly, Ehrmann is on a different scale.”
Trewithen will assist Ehrmann as a springboard for its product expansion into the UK market. “It works physically because we’ve got the infrastructure, the UK provenance and the milk supply, but also it works on a cultural level,” explained Mr Berne. “We are building upon that family-run ethos, that proximity to dairy farming and that heritage, all of which is really important to us.”
Specifically, the acquisition will provide a strong platform for the expansion of Ehrmann’s range of branded protein desserts into the UK market.
Central to this, is a £20 million investment into a state-of the-art dessert production facility, to be built at Trewithen’s existing site. The investment, which is expected to be completed in 2026, will enhance the range of products that Ehrmann can supply to its growing UK customer base.
At the same time, it will deliver job security for Trewithen’s existing employees, create additional highly skilled roles and provide a growing number of Cornish dairy farmers with a secure home for their high-quality milk.
“The idea is that we expand the factory from here,” Mr Berne said. “We are not moving site. This is our home, and it will remain that way. But the investment means we can manufacture a range of Ehrmann products for the UK market.
“Ehrmann has this fantastic ability with new product development and is known for bringing innovative items to the market. Over the last couple of years in particular, it has found a lot of success with high protein products – a big growth sector in the UK.”
Regenerative farming
Trewithen promotes a host of sustainable practices, including a pool of regenerative farmers putting soil health first, creating a bio-diverse rich farmland, and working with nature not against it.
“That proximity to farmers is critical to our sustainable strategy,” said Mr Berne. “Farming is such a key part of this region. We’ve been working with them on a variety of different sustainability standards. Part of the reason the business was so attractive to Ehrmann was because we have such a good relationship with our farmers.”
Trewithen promotes loyalty to regional and local suppliers as a key cornerstone of its ethos, as well something which reduces food miles. Communication is also vital, particularly following recent developments.
“When we made the announcement about the business being acquired, part of our mission was to communicate very clearly to suppliers with historical associations with Trewithen,” Mr Berne explained. “Those relationships have been personal and long-standing. And we see that remaining so going forward.
“Having said that, the business has got massive expansion coming up in the next two years, and that means new skills and experience are needed. So, we must engage with new business too. If there are companies that have things to offer that are going to be useful to us, then we are absolutely all ears to hear them.”
The future of dairy
The close working relationships with farmers and the company’s proximity to the fresh milk all contribute to the strength of Trewithen’s products. The business is celebrated for its award-winning butter, its outstanding clotted cream and a new range of Cornish-inspired flavoured yoghurts.
“We are known for high-quality dairy products coming from a really great
place and supplied to our customers every day, in a robust and reliable fashion,” said Mr Berne. “These are the things that make us stand out. It sounds like the basics, but it is the basics done very well and that has made us successful as we’ve grown.”
As it continues to grow its own brand, Trewithen clearly has much more left to achieve. Working with Ehrmann will also give the company access to new markets and product development.
“On an emotional level, this business is going to progress and create jobs and
new skills,” Mr Berne said, in conclusion. “There are lots of things that we’re going to do that our existing employees, and employees in the future, can be proud to be part of. To be an employer of choice in the region is something that’s important to us, as well as being a source of pride to our farmer pool. This business is much more than just a numbers game.” n
