Saturday, 21 December 2024 16:55

New UHT plant construction starts

Written by  Sudesh Kissun
Fonterra employees, community representatives, and local iwi celebrated the start of the project. Fonterra employees, community representatives, and local iwi celebrated the start of the project.

Construction is underway at Fonterra’s new UHT cream plant at Edendale, Southland following a groundbreaking ceremony recently.

Fonterra employees, community representatives, and local iwi celebrated the start of a project with cultural advisor Matu Coleman-Clark blessing the site and project team before the turning of the first sod.

The new UHT plant, which will meet growing demand across Asia is scheduled to begin production in August 2026, initially delivering over 50 million litres of UHT cream annually, with plans to more than double that capacity by 2030. Seventy new roles will be created along with those generated through the construction phase. 

General manager operations, Lower South Island, Andrew Johns, shared his enthusiasm with the group at the event, saying that starting construction marks the first chapter in a long-planned project.

“It’s fantastic to see all the planning and hard mahi come together, and we’re eager to watch the build take shape in the coming months. The new plant is a big investment in our future here at Edendale, and we’re looking forward to seeing the positive impact on our community as a whole as construction progresses.”

Around $150 million dollars will be invested in the expansion which is part of the co-operative’s strategy to grow further value by expanding its Foodservice business in and beyond China and increasing production capacity for high-value products.

More like this

Featured

LIC ends year with $30.6m profit

Herd improvement company LIC has ended the 2024-25 financial year in a strong position - debt-free and almost quadrupling its net profit.

National

Machinery & Products

Fliegl offers effluent solutions

Founded in Germany as recently as 1977, today, the Fliegl Group employs more than 1100 workers, offering an expansive range…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

It's all about economics

OPINION: According to media reports, the eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister Nicola Willis to ask for a…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter