Emmi opens goat’s milk powder facility in the Netherlands

Swiss dairy manufacturer Emmi has opened a new spray-drying facility for the production of goat’s milk powder in Etten-Leur, the Netherlands.

The company has also announced it is bundling its goat’s milk powder activities under the umbrella of the newly established Emmi Nutritional Solutions (ENS). According to Emmi, around 30 new jobs will be created at ENS, in line with the company’s long-term growth plans.

Emmi commissioned a new energy-efficient spraying tower for the production of goat’s milk powder at the site of its two subsidiaries, Goat Milk Powder and Bettinehoeve, as it invests CHF 40 million (approx. $43.57 million) into the market.

The facility relies on an electric heat pump – instead of a gas-powered steam system – which Emmi says reduces annual CO₂ emissions by more than 6,000 tonnes. Additionally, it uses residual heat from Bettinehoeve’s nearby speciality cheese production facility and has air compressors to recover the energy used for cooling.

The new facility reduces water consumption by 20% due to a system that recirculates the condensate from the steamed milk back into the water cycle.

ENS brings together all procurement, production and sales activities and is a consolidation of AVH dairy trade, a goat and sheep’s milk powder trader that has been part of the Emmi Group since 2013, and Goat Milk Powder, a goat milk’s powder producer in which Emmi has held a stake since 2016.

According to the company, the consolidation will mean that “synergies can be leveraged more effectively and growth initiatives can be driven forward with focus in a dynamic market environment”.

Ricarda Demarmels, CEO of the Emmi Group, said: “Thanks to the great commitment of the teams, we can commission our new, resource-efficient facility for goat’s milk powder as planned. The increased production capacity and the facility’s technological design enable us to further strengthen our position in this attractive niche with the newly established Emmi Nutritional Solutions and to tap into new markets and segments.”

Emmi states that pure goat’s milk powder can improve or prolong people’s quality of life, from infancy and childhood to the elderly, due to its high tolerance and nutritional quality. It is a source of protein, minerals, vitamins and trace elements and has a nutritional value comparable to human breast milk. This has led to a steady increase in global demand for high-quality pure goat’s milk powder, especially in the form of baby formula.