News Dairy
Slightly lower turnover for Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten
Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten has booked a slightly lower turnover for 2023 than for 2022, despite significantly lower dairy prices. Despite a lower milk price, extra money was available for additional payment to the members.
This is evident from the deposited annual report of the cooperative enterprise. The company works with a large number of different milk streams, including goat and sheep milk, but mainly receives cow's milk from its own members, both conventional and organic. A large variety of cheeses are made from the processed milk, often commissioned by customers.
Lower turnover, more expensive cheese
The annual report does not mention the volume of milk processed in total, only that the turnover from 2022 to 2023 decreased by €1.9 million to €234.8 million. The majority of this - nearly €179 million - was accounted for by cheese. In 2023, about 250,000 kilograms less cheese was produced, but at an average price that was 4.3 cents per kilogram higher: €6.087. The average selling price indicates that Rouveen produces cheeses for the higher market segment.
However, not all milk was used for cheese production. In 2023, 74 million kilograms were resold, more than 25 million kilograms more than the previous year. This milk, however, fetched much less per kilogram than in 2022, which is not surprising given the market conditions. The same trend was observed with cream and whey.
Higher additional payment, increased reserve
Rouveen Kaasspecialiteiten does not publish milk prices, but annually pays an above-average price compared to other cheese makers. The slightly lower milk price last year was partially offset by a slightly higher additional payment. An additional €550,000 was available for this purpose. Although the turnover decreased slightly last year and the balance value also decreased slightly, the company managed to significantly increase its equity. This increased from just over 55% to 60% of the balance value.
