Outflanked
OPINION: Greenpeace tried its best to disrupt Fonterra’s annual meeting at a hotel in New Plymouth earlier this month, but they were outflanked by a formidable team of Fonterra staff, security officers and Taranaki police.
The first slices of cheese have rolled off the new slice on slice line at Fonterra Eltham, in Taranaki.
The plant is set to produce enough cheese this year to fill more than three billion burgers.
The first cheese marks the successful completion of the 10 month build to install two new lines that will double the site's sliced cheese production. The new individually wrapped sliced cheese line was completed last year.
Fonterra managing director global operations Robert Spurway says the new line will help the co-op to be more responsive to customers' requirements.
"Each of our customers has slightly different requirements and uses for the cheese we make for them, and this additional capacity will allow us to meet more than 350 different product specifications – that's 350 very exacting recipes.
"For example one of the things McDonald's tests us on is how quickly they can peel the cheese off the block. Our ability to consistently provide above their brand standard of quality is what makes us a preferred supplier."
He said the expansion supports the co-op's growth in foodservice and is helping drive Fonterra's V3 strategy.
"We are using more of our farmers' milk in higher value products, and the production of three and a half tonnes of cheese every hour shows how fast our new plant enables us to do this.
"It's great to see the world wide reach this site has – if you pick up a burger in China, the Middle East or Africa you could be experiencing a little taste of Eltham," says Spurway.
Fonterra director global foodservice Grant Watson says this expansion, along with recent ones at Waitoa UHT, Te Rapa Cream Cheese and Clandeboye Mozzarella, are part of the Co-operative's strategy to keep up with growing global demand.
"As tastes become more westernised, particularly in Asia, we are seeing a big increase for ingredients to make products such as burgers, pizza and pasta. Globally, foodservice is growing at 6% annually and expansions such as this one at Eltham help us to capitalise on that growth," Watson said.
LIC farmers are set to benefit from a genetics collaboration with US company, Sexing Technologies (ST).
"It was awesome to see not only where our milk goes but to find out more about the range of ways it's used."
Departing Fonterra director Leonie Guiney is urging the next generation of co-operative farmers to step up and be there to lead in future.
A work in progress is how Farmlands chair Rob Hewett describes the rural trader's 2024 annual results.
A net zero pilot dairy farm, set up in Taranaki two years ago to help reduce on-farm emissions, is showing promising results.
Chinese buyers are returning in force to replenish stocks and helping send global dairy prices higher.
OPINION: Greenpeace tried its best to disrupt Fonterra’s annual meeting at a hotel in New Plymouth earlier this month, but…
OPINION: Call it what you want, a hikoi, a car-koi or a koru-koi, the recent protest march against Act's Treaty…