Open Country opens butter plant
When American retail giant Cosco came to audit Open Country Dairy’s new butter plant at the Waharoa site and give the green light to supply their American stores, they allowed themselves a week for the exercise.
Open Country chief executive Mark de Lautour says the final payout was “was at the higher end of our range for the period and reflected that market price improved slightly earlier than we had forecast”.
In his monthly message to farmer suppliers, de Lautour says he expects prices to improve in the coming months.
“We expect further upside in the coming two periods remaining in this milk season, however this is conditional on continued demand – especially following Chinese New Year – and finished product price improvement.”
OCD pays its farmers the full milk price in four periods every 12 months.
The Talley’s-owned business is forecasting a milk price of between $7.50 to $7.80/kgMS for the January period, which covers milk supplied between December last year and January this year. Farmers will be paid in full in March.
For the May period (milk supplied between February and May this year) OCD suppliers can expect a milk price of between $8 and $8.40/kgMS. For September period (June to September supply) Open Country is forecasting between $8.30 and $8.70/kgMS.
Meanwhile, Open Country’s sales team are busy preparing for the Gulfood trade show in mid-February. Held in Dubai, Open Country has a significant presence at this show with the Middle East being a key geographic market for the company.
“While centered around this part of the world, buyers globally attend, so it represents a good opportunity to meet a number of both current and potential customers,” says de Lautour.
