Arla Foods has announced it has begun work on its £179m mozzarella plant in Devon.
Last year, the dairy co-operative announced it would be making one of its biggest-ever investments to enable it to produce mozzarella in Devon from as early as 2027.
As part of the investment, Taw Valley Creamery will be updated to include state-of-the-art technology – enabling the business to be able to export mozzarella.
“The investment into our Taw Valley site showcases our commitment to driving change in the UK, and supporting the future of British dairy,” said Bas Padberg, managing director of Arla Foods UK. “We are already one of the leading players in global mozzarella market, providing quality cheese to customers worldwide, but this investment allows us to continue to support our farmer owners by returning the best price for their milk.”
The investment will create over 100 additional skilled jobs for the local area, and the business is looking to recruit for a variety of roles, including apprentices.
“As part of the launch of our mozzarella line, we are exploring how we can use this as an opportunity to recruit more people into the industry,” said Fran Ball, VP of production in the UK. “In particular we are looking at trialling an apprenticeship scheme, which means we will be able to train apprentices over the next two years – with a view to offering them a full-time position at Taw Valley – for when our mozzarella production begins.”
Arla Foods has also announced a proposal to invest £90m into its Lockerbie site to continue its growth and support of UK manufacturing and the future of British dairy.
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