France: Danone invests in infant formula brands

French dairy giant Danone is investing €240 million ($261 million) in a new facility in the Netherlands “to capitalise on growing demand for its international early life nutrition brands”.

The factory will primarily manufacture goods for Danone Nutricia’s infant formula brands, including Aptamil and Nutrilon.

Announcing the news in a statement, Danone said the plant would be located in Cuijk, The Netherlands, chosen to benefit from the “expert know-how of current staff” and also for its proximity to Danone’s research and development hub in Utrecht.

The plant, which will start to operate in 2017, represents the largest investment that the company has made in its European production facilities. Danone said that the new plant would double the firm’s production capabilities in The Netherlands, and that output would be exported to more than 80 countries worldwide.

Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition division executive vice president Felix Martin Garcia said: “Building our new production plant in Cuijk is a major step for Danone and Nutricia. It will give us the capacity we need to meet rising demand for our early life nutrition products, and is consistent with our 2020 roadmap calling for strong, profitable and sustainable growth. We are also delighted to be making this investment in the Netherlands, where our Nutricia brand has had a proud heritage stretching back over more than 100 years”.

Source: Danone