Finnish dairy company Valio has opened a new production facility in Riihimäki, southern Finland, following a €170 million investment.
The new plant, which took three years to construct, will have an annual production capacity of around 120 million kilos of yoghurt products.
The company says that the latest envinronmentally-friendly technology has been installed at the facility, which will be used for developing and manufacturing new products, such as those with reduced sugar or fat.
“Innovation, a wonderful taste, and responsible manufacturing practices. These are the things that people expect from their snacks, and our new snack plant meets these needs,” said Valio CEO Annikka Hurme.
"The new plant also combines Valio Riihimäki’s 50-year tradition of yoghurt manufacturing with the most advanced technology.”
Raising Standards
Valio says that the new plant uses around 30% less energy than the company's old facility at Riihimäki, due to new refrigeration and heat recovery systems. More than three-quarters of the thermal energy used at the plant comes from renewable fuel.
The manufacturing and packing equipment has also been designed to minimise product loss and food waste.
“We at Valio believe in the future of responsible dairy production and profitable milk processing,” said Vesa Kaunisto, Valio chairman. "This modern snack plant makes us even more competitive, both in Finland and on the export market.”
The company says that almost half of the plant's output will be for the export market, largely Sweden and Denmark, but it has plans to export to more countries in the future.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
