Mataura Valley Milk to build powder plant in New Zealand

Mataura Valley Milk Ltd. will construct a nutritional powders plant in McNab (near Gore) in the south island of New Zealand. The plant will process fresh milk and ingredients into value-added nutritional powders as well as standard skim milk and whole milk powders. The contract was awarded to GEA, which made the announcement in December.

The new plant, expected to begin production for the 2018 season, will produce around 140 metric tons of nutritional powder per day. Included in GEA’s scope of work is a milk reception and standardization plant, powdered and liquid ingredients handling, batch formulation, evaporation and drying, powder handling and filling into 25-kilogram bags. It will also feature a high degree of process automation and product traceability. Energy efficiency and environmental impact have also been a key focus in the plant design. 

Mataura Valley Milk is majority-owned by Chinese Animal Husbandry Group (CAHG), a Chinese company. Roughly half of the premium nutritional powder produced by the new plant will be exported to China, where Mataura Valley Milk expects steady growth in demand for this product. Source: GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft

Fonterra’s Anchor brand launches UHT premium milk products in China

Fonterra is launching a new range of premium Anchor products in China. The Upline range includes LiveUp, a high-protein milk with 50% more protein than standard UHT (at 5.7 grams of protein per 100 milliliters) and NaturalUp is made from certified organic New Zealand milk.  

LiveUp will be sold in stores and online. NaturalUp will have a dedicated launch on e-commerce platforms.

Fonterra said the products are “in response to the ongoing growth in demand for safe, high-quality dairy nutrition.” Each is being manufactured and packaged in New Zealand. LiveUp is produced at Fonterra’s Takanini site and NaturalUp made at the Waitoa UHT site.

Fonterra, in a statement, cited research from the Boston Consulting Group that found that 73% of Chinese consumers are willing to pay a premium price for items proven to be healthier (12% above the worldwide average).

Earlier this month, Fonterra officially opened a state-of-the-art milk powder dryer in Lichfield. The 30-metric-ton-an-hour dryer came online in September. It is capable of processing 4.4 million liters of milk each day. Source:  Fonterra

Whey-powder mixes deliver protein for breakfast

SternLife makes a range  of high-protein whey powder mixes for pancakes, porridge and rice pudding. There is also a protein bread mix. The SternLife GmbH & Co., Norderstedt, Germany, is a member of the independent, owner-managed Stern-Wywiol Gruppe.

The protein pancake mix is a blend of whey protein, lactoproteins and oatmeal. The slightly sweetened mix contains 60% protein. The whey protein is rich in the branched chain amino acids Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine, the company stated.

“These new breakfast products serve a sector for which demand is steadily growing. This is a great addition to the range and will allow our clients to place their brand on the breakfast table,” says Marc van Essen, Sales Director of SternLife. Source: SternLife

Brazilian dairy Cooperoeste buys a UHT filler

Cooperoeste, a Brazilian dairy cooperative based in São Miguel do Oeste, Santa Catarina, bought a new UHT filler. The equipment is capable of filling 12,000 cartons an hour. The filler is flexible, efficient, consumes low levels of low water and energy, and generates minimal waste, according to 
SIG Combibloc Brazil, the equipment supplier. 

Cooperoeste is packaging UHT milk in 1,000 milliliter cartons under its Terra Viva brand. The product portfolio includes UHT milk, various cheese products, and pickled gherkins. Source: SIG Combibloc Brazil