The two dairy farmer cooperatives will combine their intellectual property and industry expertise to add value to the whey streams at First Milk’s Lake District creamery in Cumbria, England.
For Fonterra, this joint venture is the first step in realising its goal of local European sourcing to meet the nutrition ingredient demand of European customers.
For First Milk, this deal adds value to the whey stream of the cheesemaking process, which will enhance the returns it can pass back to its farmer members.
Koert Liekelema, Fonterra Europe’s MD, said: “This deal underpins Fonterra’s strategic focus on premium ingredients, in particular milk and whey proteins. We’re very pleased to secure First Milk’s whey protein, enabling Fonterra to offer custom-made, premium whey protein ingredients to the major food companies in Europe.”
Kate Allum, chief executive of First Milk, said: “While this is our first step into added value whey markets, it builds on the work we have done recently with a range of partners across the supply chain to deliver pioneering solutions.
“Obviously, the UK market remains the bedrock of our business. However, it’s also important that we explore opportunities such as this one with Fonterra, that have the potential to deliver enhanced returns for our dairy farmers.”
The premium whey proteins from First Milk Lake District creamery will be applied in Fonterra’s functional and cultured nutrition ingredients like PowerProtein and ElevateProtein, based on Whey Protein 80% ingredients (WPC80).
Source: First Milk
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