Nestlé opens $14m Gerber cereal snack plant in China

Nestlé has inaugurated a new factory in China, marking the first official production of Gerber Nutripuff – a cereal snack for babies – in the country.

Located in Shuangcheng, Harbin, the RMB 100 million ($14.2 million) factory represents an important milestone for the continuous localisation of Gerber, an international baby nutrition brand under Nestlé.

Gerber is well-known for its infant supplement food, including infant cereals, fruit and vegetable puree and its puffs that Nestlé claims are very popular among Chinese babies.

The factory will produce organic and regular Gerber Nutripuffs, with a total of eight flavours. The puffs will come in cans and flexible packaging that are 100% recyclable, as part of Nestlé’s commitment to sustainability.

The plant, which has an annual production capacity of about 1,400 tons, has been equipped with high-tech automatic equipment, including fully automated canning and packaging lines imported from the UK, USA and Switzerland.

Nestlé’s first factory in China was established in Shuangcheng and signalled the start of the companies’ investments in the country. Built in 1987, the plant produces milk powder, cereals, and infant formula.

Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Greater China, Rashid Qureshi, said: “This new factory represents Nestlé’s latest investment in Shuangcheng and demonstrates Nestlé’s great confidence and firm commitment to the Chinese market.”

Binu Jacob, senior vice president of the Infant Nutrition Business Unit of Nestlé Greater China, said: “This time, in the construction of Gerber Nutripuff factory in Shuangcheng, we hope to provide nutritious and quality-assured supplement food to help Chinese babies to meet their growing needs at different stages.

“We also believe that Nestlé’s technical advantages and industrial advantages of Shuangcheng will create greater economic and social benefits, promote the development and upgrading of Shuangcheng agriculture and food industry, and promote a win-win for local economic and social development.”

Earlier this month, Gerber joined forces with TerraCycle to create a recycling programme for its baby food packaging.