PepsiCo Inc. said Thursday it has ended its U.S. yogurt joint-venture with Germany’s Theo Müller Group because of weak sales.

The U.S. snack-and-beverage giant also confirmed the two companies have sold their dairy plant in Batavia, N.Y., to Dairy Farmers of America, a milk marketing co-operative. It didn’t disclose financial terms.

Müller Quaker Dairy LLC began selling products in the U.S. in 2012 and opened a $200 million plant in 2013 to take aim at the fast-growing U.S. yogurt market. The move also fit with PepsiCo’s strategy of expanding into more “good-for-you” products.

But the partners struggled to take market share from established yogurt brands including privately held Chobani, General Mills Inc.’s Yoplait and Dannon, owned by France’s Danone SA .

PepsiCo said in a statement Thursday the two companies agreed to shut down the venture “after determining that the business was not meeting expectations in a competitive and dynamic marketplace.’’