Italian dairy group Granarolo has bought U.S. cheese producer Calabro Cheese as part of its plan to expand its presence abroad, the company said in a statement on Monday. The group did not disclose the price of the acquisition but said Calabro Cheese, specialized in soft cheeses like ricotta, mozzarella and burrata, reported sales of $25 million in 2020.

Granarolo plans to use Calabro Cheese's distribution network also to export its products with protected designation of origin (PDO) from Italy. The United States could be an interesting market for Granarolo's hard cheese PDO specialties, including parmigiano reggiano and grana padano.