Fonterra invests around NZ$150m for new cool store in NZ

In New Zealand, dairy Co-op Fonterra has announced a further investment in its operations with around NZ$150 million earmarked for a new cool store at its Whareroa site in Taranaki, which currently employs more than 1000 people and has 11 plants. 

The new cool store will be the size of three rugby fields (19,000 m²), store about 26,000 t of cheese, and increase the site’s cool store capacity by around 5000 t.

Construction on the new cool store will begin in October and will take place over two phases to enable the existing building to remain operational.

Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell said these investments are about creating value at every point of the value chain for the Co-operative.

“Over the past few weeks, Fonterra has announced significant strategic investments to expand and upgrade its operations. Our strong balance sheet is enabling us to invest for future growth and support ongoing delivery of our strategy,” Hurrell said.

Fonterra Chief Operating Officer Anna Palairet said these are big investments, which will have a significant impact on the Co-op.

“Our Whareroa site processes up to 12.5 million litres of milk per day and produces 30% of the Co-op’s cheese, along with a number of other products including butter, casein and powders,” Palairet said.

“The Taranaki region is dairy heartland and I’m delighted we’re able to make this significant investment into shoring up our operations at this site, which is one of the largest in our network.”

The expansion is expected to create local employment opportunities and is forecast to take three years to complete.

This announcement follows recent news of a new protein plant at the Co-operative’s Studholme site and a new UHT cream plant at Edendale in the South Island.

Image caption: Fonterra Whareroa site.