It is proposed that a total of €140m ($159m) will be invested in the facility, which is scheduled for commissioning in 2022 and will produce continental cheeses in various formats.
Once commissioned, the new plant will have a production capacity of 450m liters of milk per annum. Approximately 80 full-time jobs will be created at the facility. It is expected a further 100 temporary jobs will be created during the construction phase.
Milk used in the production process on site will be sourced from local suppliers and the cheese will be marketed and sold to global customers.
Increased investment
Jan Anker, chief executive of Royal A-Ware Group, said, “We are proud to announce this partnership with Glanbia Ireland. With this announcement, Royal A-ware is taking another step towards achieving its goals of working with strategic partners to build innovative and sustainable agri-food chains and offering its customers an enhanced product portfolio. It also gives our company access to additional volumes of high-quality cheese through a local supply chain.”
Jim Bergin, chief executive of Glanbia Ireland, said, “We are delighted to partner with Royal A-ware, a leading global producer of continental cheeses, to build a world-class cheese plant in the south-east of Ireland. This new partnership will create a new route to market for Glanbia Ireland suppliers’ milk and diversify our portfolio of consumer dairy products and ingredients.”
He added that since 2014, the company has invested €343m ($389m) to facilitate a 42% increase in milk production by Glanbia farmers. The proposed new investment is required to diversify the company’s product mix and to ensure suppliers have the opportunity to fulfil their growth ambitions, he said.
The proposed new facility will be located at a site near to Glanbia Ireland’s infant nutrition plant at Belview, Co Kilkenny. First opened in 2015, the Glanbia infant nutrition plant at Belview is currently the subject of a €130m ($148m) investment to install a third drier and expand production capacity.