Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited has commissioned its new dairy ingredients plant in Heerenveen, in the north of the Netherlands, which will enable the company to better serve its European and global customer base, delivering a secure, reliable source of high quality ingredient products.
According to the press release by Fonterra, the plant stretches on a 25 hectare site developed in partnership with Dutch cheese manufacturer A-ware Food Group, which has built and will operate an adjacent cheese plant.
Fonterra’s new plant, which is the company’s first wholly-owned and operated ingredients facility in Europe, will process whey and lactose – byproducts of the cheese production on the Dutch site – into high-value paediatric, maternal, and sports nutrition products.
The plant forms part of the company’s fully integrated global supply chain from the farm gate direct to global consumers, using its milk pools and manufacturing sites in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.
“The commissioning of our new plant in Heerenveen further strengthens our ability to deliver high quality, advanced dairy nutrition that meets the needs of our priority markets and global customers,” said Fonterra’s Chief Executive Theo Spierings.
“Fonterra has substantial intellectual property in the manufacture of functional whey protein ingredients and had been looking for some time for a source of high quality whey to enable us to commercialise these innovations. Our partnership with A-ware Food Group fits well with our strategic priorities aimed at increasing the volume and value of our ingredients and branded products.”
The plant will have the capacity to produce 5,000 metric tonnes of whey protein and 25,000 metric tonnes of lactose annually and will operate around the clock: 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
