MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwired - Jan. 17, 2014) - Saputo Inc. ("Saputo") (TSX:SAP) announces today it has entered into an agreement to acquire the fluid milk activities of Scotsburn Co-Operative Services Limited based in Atlantic Canada ("Scotsburn Fluid Milk Business"). Scotsburn is a Nova Scotia cooperative that will continue its other activities such as its frozen ice cream and frozen novelties business.

The purchase price of $61 million, on a debt-free basis excludes about 8M$ of working capital items and is payable in cash by drawing on available credit lines. The transaction is subject to the approval of Scotsburn co-op members and usual conditions (including approval by the Canadian Competition Bureau) and is expected to close around March 2014.

The Scotsburn Fluid Milk Business operates two fluid milk processing facilities located in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and employs an aggregate of approximately 400 people in Atlantic Canada. Its operations consist of manufacturing, selling, marketing, distributing and merchandising of products such as fluid milk, cream, sour cream, ice cream mix and cottage cheese, mainly under the Scotsburn brand. The Scotsburn Fluid Milk Business generates annual sales of approximately $160M and about $8M of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

This transaction will enable Saputo's Dairy Division (Canada) to increase its presence in Atlantic Canada.

 Saputo is Canada's largest dairy processor and it ranks No. 3 on the Dairy 100, Dairy Foods list of the largest dairy companies based in Canada and the Untied States.