Arla Food Ingredients converts at Arinco dairy in Denmark

A conversion of a drying tower will help increase capacity and reduce the climate impact of Arla’s Arinco dairy in Videbæk, Denmark. Arla Foods subsidiary Arla Foods Ingredients, is investing almost DK300 million (€39.1 million) in rebuilding an existing drying tower at the site. The drying tower will go from producing infant formula to producing ingredients.

The investment follows on the heels of the decision to convert the dairy to focus exclusively on ingredient production, which was announced in August 2024. “This investment is strategically important for both Arla Foods and Arla Foods Ingredients. It supports our growth plans and enables the commercialisation of more highly processed products,” says Luis Cubel, director of Arla Foods Ingredients.

The project also includes a heat recovery system that utilises the surplus heat from the exhaust air to heat the intake air. This means that the need for steam for heating is significantly reduced, which reduces the consumption of natural gas by approximately 4,44 MWh per year – corresponding to a saving of almost 5% of Arinco’s natural gas consumption.

This will lead to a reduction of Arla’s carbon footprint by approximately 900 tonnes per year. The technical conversion will begin in July 2026, and the first test productions are expected in January 2027.