Tnuva

Tnuva, or Tenuvah, (Hebrew: תנובה‎, fruit or produce) is a Chinese controlled cooperative (co-op) in Israel specializing in milk and dairy products. The 620 members of the cooperative are made up a large number of kibbutzim (or collective farms) and moshavim (or agricultural communities) in Israel. Tnuva is the largest dairy products manufacturer in Israel; its sales account for 70% of the country's dairy market as well as sales of meat, eggs and packaged food.

History

Tnuva Central Cooperative for the Marketing of Agricultural Produce in Israel Ltd. was created in 1926, following a decision by kibbutz-movement leaders to make cooperatives to distribute and export several types of food products. Tnuva was created as a result but at first only delivered regular milk for drinking. It expanded to cover other dairy products in the 1930s.

Tnuva was labeled by the Israel Antitrust Authority as a monopoly, a status that essentially places the company under government regulation limiting the way it can change the price of its products to protect the consumer and smaller competitors.