Lactalis Colombia plans to double its business to 1.4trn pesos
Lactalis Colombia’s president and chief executive, Juan Camilo Velásquez, described the expansion plans in an interview with Semana. The company sells brands including Parmalat, Proleche, Kraft and Président, and reported 17% growth in its Colombian business during 2025.
The company is adding products in several dairy categories. Its sliced, grated and granulated cheese lines recorded double-digit growth in 2025, according to figures released by Lactalis. The portfolio also now includes Greek yoghurt, while the milk range has been expanded with enriched products such as Parmalat with ten vitamins.
Lactalis has developed additional powdered dairy products and operates a child-nutrition division that includes the Alula and Infacare brands. Velásquez said future growth would rely on extending the reach of the company’s brands and developing categories aligned with changing consumer preferences.
The industrial expansion is supported by Lactalis’s raw-milk supply network. The company works with 1,694 dairy farmers across nine Colombian departments, including Cundinamarca, Boyacá, Antioquia and Córdoba. More than 70% of these suppliers are small or medium-sized producers. In 2025, the network supplied more than 131m litres of raw milk.
Lactalis said it financed the installation of more than 330 cooling tanks. Producers taking part in its technical-support programme achieved productivity improvements of more than 40%, according to the company. Lactalis said it continues to invest more than 20bn pesos a year, with 2025 spending focused on upgrading plants in Chía, Medellín and Cereté, automating processes, improving logistics and reinforcing child nutrition.
The company identified greater distribution in intermediate-sized towns and a stronger presence in neighbourhood shops as commercial priorities. It also reported a 13% reduction in industrial water consumption in 2025 and the recovery of 14 tonnes of packaging through a circular-economy initiative. Lactalis did not specify a timetable for doubling its Colombian operation. The stated target of 1.4trn pesos in sales is linked to the company’s expansion strategy, which also requires additional milk supply, industrial capacity and commercial channels.
