Fonterra brings mascarpone to Japan
Fonterra has put the final touches on a project aimed at meeting the growing global demand for dairy, involving a new type of mascarpone for consumers in Japan. The recently commissioned mascarpone line at the co-operative’s Te Rapa site brings a new offering to Fonterra’s already strong portfolio of exported ingredients.
Project manager Shane van den Hurk says it is different to the mascarpone most Kiwis will be familiar with.
“The mascarpone you find in most supermarket chillers is made to be balanced slightly sweet, a bit creamy, but with a relatively low fat content so it’s good for ready to eat consumption. Our ingredients customers, on the other hand, are looking for something that packs more of a punch. When used as an ingredient, a high quality mascarpone should have much more depth of flavour; it should be richer, sweeter and with a higher percentage of natural dairy fats. That’s what gives a milk shake its creaminess and what makes ice creams more decadent.”
Japan is a rapidly growing market for dairy consumption, in particular ice cream which has traditionally been considered a treat for children only. The emergence of premium ice cream brands has seen a growing preference for these products among adult consumers, with recent Euromonitor data showing sales of ice cream reaching record levels in 2015.
The $5 (€3.5) million project means more milk will be driven up the value chain without building a dedicated new plant, says van den Hurk.
“We’ve been able to apply existing technology in a creative way that allows us to switch our frozen cream line where we’ve got capacity over to mascarpone quickly and easily. Much of that milk was previously turned into commodity products such as anhydrous milk fat, so it’s a win win that we’re about to add significantly more value to our farmers’ milk for a small investment.”
The first major shipment of mascarpone is set to sail for Japan in January 2017.
