China: Meiji Holdings opens new ice cream plant

The Japanese food group Meiji Holdings is expanding its production capacity with the opening of a new ice cream factory in the city of Guangzhou, South China.

The new plant will begin operating from early January 2015, with product sales starting in the South China region by the end of the same month before being rolled out to include the East and North regions.

The company said that it would use the expertise and technology that have made the brand recognized for high-quality ice-cream in Japan to provide a high value-added range of products for the Chinese market. To cater to local tastes, among the products the company is planning to launch is an ice cream bar that combines the locally-popular condensed milk with Japanese flavours such as sweet red bean and green tea.

As a result of the new facility, Meiji said its aim was to achieve net sales of approximately ¥ 10 billion ($84 million) by 2020.

Source: Meiji