Gleiss Lutz has advised DMK Deutsches Milchkontor eG (DMK) on its cross-border merger with the Dutch cooperative Drents Overijsselse Coöperatie Kaas U.A. (DOC) to form a European Cooperative Society (Societas Cooperativa Europaea – SCE).
On 30 June 2026, the general assemblies of DMK and DOC, which together form the DMK Group, approved the transaction. The full integration of the DMK Group into Arla will be completed following a two-year transition period, which commenced on 1 June 2026 after the European Commission cleared the merger.
The transaction marks a key milestone in the combination of the DMK Group with Arla Foods amba (Arla) to create Europe's leading dairy cooperative.
The DMK Group has approximately 3,900 members and close to 6,800 employees and is one of the most important suppliers to German food retailers, with well-known brands such as MILRAM, Oldenburger and Humana. In the 2025 financial year, the DMK Group processed approximately 5.1 billion kilograms of milk and generated revenues of approximately EUR 5.3 billion.
Arla unites around 7,300 members across several European countries and produced 14.3 billion kilograms of milk last year. With approximately 22,000 employees, the group generated revenues of EUR 15.1 billion in 2025.
The following Gleiss Lutz team led by Dr. Stephan Aubel (partner, Corporate/Capital Markets, Frankfurt) and Dr. Julius-Vincent Ritz (Corporate/Capital Markets, Stuttgart, both lead) advised DMK:
Martin Hitzer (partner, Düsseldorf), Dr. Thorsten Gayk (counsel, Hamburg), Dr. Christina Aye (counsel), Melanie Barwich (counsel, both Frankfurt), Dr. Charlotte Evers (Düsseldorf), Dr. Silke Hoffmann (Frankfurt), Dr. Walter Andert (all Corporate, Berlin), Dr. Wolfgang Bosch (partner), Dr. Alexander Fritzsche (partner), Dr. Birgit Colbus (counsel), Dr. Juliane Langguth (all Competition/Antitrust, all Frankfurt), Dr. Ocka Stumm (partner), Dr. Dominik Monz (counsel), Julian Kettemer, Dr. Johannes Heck (all Tax, all Frankfurt), Dr. Tobias Abend (counsel, Employment, Frankfurt), Aylin Hoffs (counsel, Foreign Trade Law, Düsseldorf).
On matters of Dutch law, the DMK Group is advised by a team from Stibbe; on matters of Danish law, Gorrissen Federspiel has been engaged.
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