Finnish dairy leader Valio Ltd., celebrates its centennial this year, but it might just as easily celebrate ten years of redefining itself in a new business environment. Finland was among the original nations that formed the European Union in 1995, and it shares a border and a history with Russia and the former Soviet Union. So in the last decade, Valio has had to adapt to doing business in a less sheltered market in its native land while exploring export opportunities at its doorstep in growth markets like Sweden, Russia and Estonia. In the process, Valio had to change its structure (the dairy manufacturer is in fact jointly owned by 27 distinct cooperatives, with 13,500 members), and, oh, at the same time it has become a pioneer in probiotics and begun patenting and licensing its R&D technology to other players in every significant dairy market around the globe.
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