Synutra sets up shop in France

In April the go-ahead finally arrived for a 100,000 tonne per annum cheese making and whey drying plant at Carhaix in Brittany. Cheese making facilities are expected to be using locally-produced milk by the first months of 2015. The builder is Synutra International from China, one of the republic’s leading producers of demineralised whey powder and infant food formulae.

Its initial investment is put at around €100 million for construction and start-up. Farmers from the milk production pasturelands of northern France will be the main suppliers according to French dairy cooperative Sodiaal (turnover €4.2 billion) which, with its whey-production subsidiary Euroserum, will partner Synutra in the huge project.

After cheese, to be sold on the European market, Synutra says major products will be milk powders and especially fat-enriched demineralised whey powder bound for infant and child food markets in the People’s Republic.