Yili Group (Chinese:伊利集团;pinyin:Yīlì Jítuán; full name:Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Company Limited) is a Chinese dairy products producer headquartered inHohhot, Inner Mongolia.[1][2] It is one of China's leading dairy companies alongsideMengniu, and is listed as anA share company on theShanghai Stock Exchange (SSE). It is engaged inprocessing andmanufacturing ofmilk products, includingice cream, milk tea powder,sterilized milk and fresh milk under "Yili" brand,powdered milk under "Pro-Kido" brand, andorganic milk under "Satine" brand. In 2018, it was the world's third best-performing food brands.[3] In 2021, Yili ranked 1st on FBIF's Top 100 Chinese Food & Beverage Companies list.[4] It is partly state-owned by the government of Hohhot (8.5% as of 2024).[5]
Its head office is in the Jinshan Development Zone (金山开发区) inHohhot.[6][7]
In 1956, "the Cattle Breeding Team of Hohhot Huimin District" was established. In 1958, it was renamed as "the Cooperative Dairy Farm of Hohhot Huimin District", which was the predecessor of the Yili Group.
In February 1997, the Yili Group was formally established and put into production the first production line ofTetra Pak Milk.
In 2008, Yili Group was involved in a food safety scandal, the2008 Chinese milk scandal. The scandal involved melamine-contaminated milk, baby milk powder, and other milk products.[11][12] The incident caused 13,000 infants to have kidney stones in China and in neighboring countries and regions who consumed the contaminated milk products.[13]
On 18 March 2019, the group signed an agreement to acquire 100% equity of New Zealand dairy co-operativeWestland Milk Products[14][15][16][17] – which was ratified by Westland shareholders on 4 July.[18][19]
In December 2023, Yili Group established an internal militia unit reporting to thePeople's Liberation Army within the company.[5][20]
^Yang, Tutu; Gao, Nana (1 September 2021)."2021中国食品饮料百强榜" [Top 100 Chinese Food & Beverage Companies list].FoodTalks (in Chinese).Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved28 February 2022.
