South Korean food company SPC Samlip has signed an exclusive contract with US-based Chobani to distribute and sell their yogurt products here, the company said Thursday.

Starting July, SPC Samlip said it will exclusively supply Chobani products to retailers here, and also work on producing new products under the brand using homegrown ingredients.

Chobani supports the Farmer’s Assuring Responsible Management animal welfare program, which ensures that farms supplying milk to the company abides by best management practices, according to SPC Samlip.

Founded in 2005 by Hamdi Ulukaya, the US company has grown into one of the top three players in the US yogurt market and the No. 1 Greek yogurt manufacturer, with annual sales worth around $2 billion.

With the partnership, SPC Samlip hopes to gain an upper hand in Korea’s 980 billion-won ($877 million) yogurt market and ultimately expand its fresh food business here.

“The latest deal came in line with our efforts to meet the increasing customer demands for healthy food products,” an official said.

The South Korean food company saw its sales of fresh food and processed meat products for the first quarter this year expand by 22 percent and 13 percent on-year, respectively.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)