September 25, 2008 - The Danish Minister of Food officially declared Chr. Hansen's new culture plant in Copenhagen, Denmark, open on September 18. Meeting a rising demand for dairy cultures globally, the new plant equals an investment of 50 million euro, the largest ever in the company's history of more than 130 years.
“As the Minister of Food I welcome a production unit that produces natural ingredients for healthy foods, and I am also pleased to note that Chr. Hansen has chosen to place the new state-of-the art factory in Denmark generating jobs and strengthening the scientific and technical know-how profile Denmark needs to build on in the global competition,” said Eva Kjer Hansen, Danish Minister of Food, in her inauguration speech.
The new plant, built in only 15 months, 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 is able to produce dairy cultures to cover the total yoghurt production in Europe, which amounts to approximately 10 million tons annually.
It contains state-of-the-art technology and builds 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.
At present Chr. Hansen has culture production sites in France, Germany, USA and Denmark.