An artist's impression of the new innovation centre in Nørre Vium, Denmark
Arla Foods will invest €36.3 million to build a new innovation centre in Nørre Vium, Denmark, which will focus on the development of milk and whey-based ingredients.
The new facility will be operated by Arla Foods Ingredients and will include open office spaces, labs and a pilot plant, and will employ approximately 90 people.
Construction of the new site will begin in 2019, and Arla claims that the 9,000 square-metre facility should become operational in 2021.
Arla’s board of directors approved the project as it aligned with the company’s strategic focus on innovation, and the ‘hub’ will aim to “discover and deliver new ways of using milk and whey to serve the needs of the world’s growing population.”
Scientists and technicians at the site will utilise advanced separation technologies to isolate specific components of whey or milk, and use heat treatment and pasteurization technology to improve functionality and shelf-life of whey and milk-based products.
The facility will be located close to Arla Food Ingredient’s Danmark Protein production site, which will allow scientists and technicians at the facility to effectively collaborate with production staff.
Peder Tuborgh, CEO of Arla Foods, said: “The world’s population is growing, which increases the need for healthy and sustainable food. It is a big challenge, and in Arla we want to be part of the solution.
“We know that dairy nutrition can play an important role in securing a healthy and balanced diet for people across the world, and with this innovation centre we will use cutting-edge research and technology to explore milk and whey to their full potential as ingredients for a wide range of nutrition.”
Henrik Andersen, group vice-president of Arla Foods Ingredients added: “Our customers are always looking for new solutions to adapt to changing consumer demands.
“Our focus is to explore all the components in the milk and whey and combine them to enhance the nutritional or functional value of a product.
“Together with our customers, we will explore this even further in our new innovation centre to help them develop new products that meet the specific nutritional needs of children, athletes, patients and consumers.
“The colleagues working with innovation in AFI are among the most talented in the world and it is our ambition to continue to attract the very best calibre of colleagues that share our mission of discovering and delivering all the wonders whey can bring to people’s lives.
“This will be an exciting place to work with the most challenging development projects in the dairy industry.”
Arla Foods opened a similar multi-million euro innovation centre in Aarhus, Denmark last year.
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