Why Fonterra accepted defeat in the dairy aisle
OPINION: Fonterra's sale of its consumer dairy business to Lactalis is a clear sign of the co-operative’s failure to compete in the branded consumer market.
New Zealand-based Fonterra and Netherlands-based A-ware Food Group have given the green light to develop a new cheese plant and dairy ingredients plant in Heerenveen in the north of the Netherlands.
Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings and A-ware Food Group chief executive Jan Anker have today confirmed the partnership would proceed and signed a final agreement.
Under the agreement a greenfields site will be developed where A-ware will operate a cheese plant and Fonterra will operate a dairy ingredients plant alongside it.
Cheese will be produced for A-ware's customers in Europe and the whey and lactose produced will be processed into premium nutrition dairy ingredients for Fonterra's global customer base.
Construction of both plants is scheduled to be completed in late 2014.
The investment fits well with the strategic priorities of both companies, says Spierings.
"Fonterra has substantial intellectual property in the manufacture of functional whey protein ingredients and has been looking for some time for a source of high quality whey to enable it to commercialise these innovations for customers around the world."
Anker says the partnership will build on A-ware's reputation as a significant provider of premium cheese in Europe with a strong history and network.
"A-ware is well placed to integrate the new cheese plant into its supply chain so it can expand its service offering with increased flexibility for a growing customer base in Europe."
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
'Common sense' cuts to government red tape will make it easier for New Zealand to deliver safe food to more markets.
Balclutha farmer Renae Martin remembers the moment she fell in love with cows.
Academic freedom is a privilege and it's put at risk when people abuse it.
OPINION: Should cows in NZ be microchipped?
OPINION: Legislation being drafted to bring back the controversial trade of live animal exports by sea is getting stuck in the…