Emmi opens new dairy
Image: Emmi
The Swiss dairy giant Emmi has new cheese dairy at the location of Emmen, Switzerland. It is a replacement for the more than 40-year-old cheese factory building and the new cheese factory is geared towards the professional, resource-saving and efficient production of Swiss speciality cheeses such as Lucerne cream cheese.
“Committed to tradition in our home region, with the new, resource-conserving cheese dairy in Emmen we are showing that we want to strengthen our leading market position in our home market of Switzerland. With differentiated brand concepts such as Lucerne cream cheese, we also see more in the strategic focus segment of specialty cheeses, not least in export growth potential”, says Marc Heim, who is head of the Emmi Switzerland division.
The investment of CHF 50 million ($50 million USD) in the new large cheese, is to Emmi a commitment to the regional Swiss cheese tradition. The roots of Emmi go back to 1907 and to this day Emmi processes the milk from central Swiss milk producers with short transport routes into milk and cheese specialties.
In the specialty cheese segment, Lucerne cream cheese, which has been popular since the 1970s, has proven to be a profitable growth driver and enjoys continued popularity. For Swiss premium cheese, there is a good chance that the positive long-term trend will continue both domestically and in export. In line with these prospects and Emmi’s long-term growth plans, the new cheese dairy will create additional capacity to handle the expected additional volume.
On the basis of the Emmi sustainability model and the company-wide netZERO 2050 reduction path, Emmi is also relying heavily on renewable energy for the new cheese dairy. In addition to the existing wood chip and photovoltaic system, additional photovoltaic modules positioned on the roof of the new cheese dairy expand the production of renewable energy.
In addition, the production facilities enable more efficient processes and resource-saving manufacturing processes for a planned annual volume of around 10,000 tons of cheese.
With a water saving of up to 70 million litres per year, the new cheese factory works practically water-neutral.
Compared to the now replaced building from 1976 and its facilities, the new cheese dairy also brings progress in terms of occupational safety and offers ergonomic workplaces with optimal lighting conditions that meet the highest quality and safety management standards.