US-giant Dean Foods Co in bid for a2 Milk Company...

US-giant Dean Foods Co in bid for a2 Milk Company

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United States-listed Dean Foods Company is the mystery bidder circling New Zealand's a2 Milk Company, having teamed up with Australia's Freedom Foods in a bid for the company.

Dean, America's largest processor and direct-to-store distributor of fluid milk and worth $US1.6 billion, is understood to be keen to help a2 Milk Company distribute its products in the United States.

a2 started selling products into the California region in mid-April and has told investors that the United States is one of its key growth markets.

a2 milk revealed the takeover interest on Monday saying it had received an expression of interest from two associated trade parties.

ASX-listed Freedom Foods later outed itself as one of the two trade parties and said it was working with a "leading international liquid dairy milk company".

It's understood Moelis & Co is advising the bidding consortia, while Goldman Sachs is working for a2 Milk Company.

a2 Milk Company's Australian shares were up 4.1 per cent to 63.5¢ on Tuesday, having jumped almost 20 per cent on Monday.