Nom dairy plant to double output in five years

Nom Dairy UK aims to output 500M bottles and pots of yogurt-based products by December 2010 at the Telford plant it officially opened last month, with plans to double that within five years.

Gerhard Schutzner - who founded Müller UK with its former md Ken Wood, now chief executive of Weetabix - is president of the Nom Dairy Group, which has its headquarters in Austria.
A total of £53M has been initially invested in the factory’s construction, representing the largest private investment in the Telford region for 10 years, according to local officials. Production began in February, creating more than 200 local jobs.
The factory sits on 24 acres of land, of which only 40% is currently used, leaving substantial room for further expansion and chilled storage, said Steve Oliver, head of quality at the Telford plant. The factory currently has three filling lines, with plans to add two more by October/November.
The plant aims to source all milk locally for its yogurts, which boast all-natural ingredients as a selling point. “Consumers want natural products and ingredients and our products contain only a handful of ingredients,” said Oliver.
Nom Dairy UK already supplies the UK’s top four multiple supermarket chains. Most product lines are made under retailers’ labels. However, it does produce a limited branded offering under the name Naturally Creamy.
The Telford factory imports the pre-prepared fruit compote for Nom Dairy UK’s yogurts from Poland, but Oliver added: “When we expand, there is space for a fruit plant. We have the potential to make that here.”
Nom Dairy Group has been exporting yogurts into the UK for several years. Oliver said the company also aimed to expand imports of its probiotic yogurt drinks into the UK to 70M bottles by the end of 2009.