1 November 2007 - In Spring 2008, Chr. Hansen's new culture plant situated just outside of Copenhagen is scheduled to be ready for operation, meeting a rising demand for dairy cultures globally. Amounting to 40 million euro, the investment is the largest ever in the company's history of more than 130 years.
The construction of the new plant is an investment in the future and will support the growth and commercial success of the company. Chr. Hansen is already today the world’s leading supplier of dairy cultures for the global food industry.
”Dairy cultures are our largest area of business representing two thirds of our total turnover. We have seen continuing positive sales for quite some time, and lately the growth has exceeded all our expectations with present growth rates at 12-15%. This investment makes it possible for us to supply the global market with high quality products farsightedly, fast and flexibly”, says Lars Frederiksen, CEO, Chr. Hansen.
Yoghurt for all of Europe
The new plant will be able to produce dairy cultures to cover the total yoghurt production in Europe, which amounts to approximately 10 million tons annually.
It will contain state-of-the-art technology and build on high-level know-how.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to further optimize and improve the expertise and competencies that the Chr. Hansen culture business is renowned for. We are an innovative company that has provided the market with several popular solutions. As of today 20% of the culture business turnover comes from products younger than three years old. The new plant will help us sustain this and keep us on the cutting edge,” says Knud Vindfeldt, Executive Vice President, Cultures & Enzymes Division, Chr. Hansen
The construction started in December 2006, and the first cultures are scheduled to leave the plant already in Spring 2008. When fully completed, the new plant will create about 50 new jobs for skilled technologists.
Denmark as perfect location
“After thorough consideration we decided to build in Denmark, where we already have a strong and advanced logistics platform. Furthermore, the educational level is high and our operation is mainly knowledge focused as opposed to manpower focused”, concludes Lars Frederiksen.
At present Chr. Hansen has culture production sites in France, Germany, USA and Denmark.