Arla Foods is a global dairy company and a cooperative owned by dairy farmers. The company has production facilities in 12 countries and sales offices in a further 30, with a total of more than 18,000 employees.

The Arla history dates back to 1881 when the first dairies in Denmark and Sweden were founded. In 2000, the Danish MD Foods and the Swedish Arla ekonomisk Förening decided to merge. This was the first large cross-national merger in the Nordic dairy industry.

In 2012, Arla merged with the German dairy company Milch-union Hocheifel MUH, and British Milk Link. The mergers meant that Arla Foods grew from 8,024 cooperative owners in Denmark, Sweden and Germany to 12,300 cooperative owners in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the UK.