Commodities - Dairy markets

I was wondering if people from WSO have any insights on the dairy market. At first, it sounds to me as a kind of back to back business but in looking a bit closer it seems more complicated than that as there is a dairy paper market. 

If any people have an answer to the following questions :

  • Who are the big player on the physical and the paper side since the exit of LDC ? 
  • Why does dairy trading seem to stand back compared to traditional soft commodities (sugar, coffee, wheat) ?
  • More broadly, what is your feeling about dairy trading ? 

Many thanks

7 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I believe Hoogwegt and Interfood are the big guys. But I'm not sure what chunk of the business they have vs the Nestles and Danones of the world.

See above, could be much of the market is run by the big consumer good firms, or artisans on the other end. The traders aren't linchpins the way they are in the other commodities you cite.

Had an in at LDC for that a while ago. Seemed interesting enough and volatile. But the small number of trading minded players was a concern for me.

 

Ok, so if I sum-up : poor market design which result from the small number of "traders" in this space combined with the prominence of big consumers firms not forgetting the absence of a proper "trader culture". From this perspective, it seems not very appealing except perhaps as an entry level position to gain experience and try to leverage on it so as to make a move after 2-3 years on another commodity. What I do not manage to explain is the strong connexion that dairy trading seems to foster with Netherland as the main firms quoted are located there. After a few searches, Olam seems also to have a few dairy traders in Amsterdam as well as Cargill in Belgium in complement to its cocoa unit in the country.

 

Consectetur eos eos asperiores quidem natus. Atque at placeat voluptatem sunt. Magnam enim iusto porro assumenda fuga officiis repellendus.

Est minima voluptas distinctio omnis non excepturi corrupti. Laudantium quia laborum harum ad possimus. Cum odit rerum libero blanditiis distinctio voluptas cupiditate. Veniam aperiam voluptas reprehenderit et. Possimus est non sint asperiores alias.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”