Goat co-op opens plant to process milk-powder

A $16 million dairy factory to process goats' milk has opened in Hamilton.

The factory - owned by the Dairy Goat Co-operative - will process 10 million litres a year into milk-powder.

Chief executive Dave Stanley said the factory removed the reliance the co-op had on other facilities.

It had previously processed its milk at Fonterra's Waitoa factory, near Hamilton, but the dairy giant had encouraged the co-op to establish its own plant.

The Danish-designed factory will allow the Dairy Goat Co-operative to have complete control over its production, including quality and quantity.

It has capacity to double present production levels to give its 69 producer shareholders surety for future milkflows. The first milk went through the plant at the end of last month.

Stanley said processing was still "settling in" but so far the switch had been smooth.

The factory had a plant manager and four operators and its technology provided "superior powder characteristics".

Owning the plant meant the milk could be processed immediately.

Over the past 10 years the co-op has established a diverse market in Taiwan, Europe and Australia and and it is establishing markets in China, Malaysia, Korea and Chile.

Most of its dried milk-powder product is for the infant (6 months) and child (to 8 years) market. Many children have an intolerance to the protein content of cows' milk.

- NZPA