Published: 26 November 2013

Dairy products manufacturer, Dendairy has increased its production capacity by 150 percent following a $7 million investment in a new processing plant in Kwekwe.

The dairy company has since increased its capacity from 2 million litres per month last year to 5 million litres this year after the commissioning of the new plant.

The new Swedish made Tetrapak processing plant makes the company the first local dairy firm to produce long shelf-life milk on the market. Currently the commodity is being imported from South Africa.

The plant can process 7 000 litres of milk per hour for one litre containers as well 3500 litres an hour for 500 millilitre containers.

The plant is now fully operational and was commissioned last week.

Speaking to Herald business Dendairy director Mr Daryl Alexander said the company was on an expansion drive to beat the completion from the South African market.

"Of the 10 million litres that the country requires in a month, half is imported from South Africa, which therefore poses a threat to the local industry.

"We decided to invest in a processing plant to boost our capacity as well as beat the growing volumes of imported milk in the country,"
he said.

He said his company was looking coming up with ideas that will make the local milk industry competitive.

Mr Alexander said they also wanted to increase production as a means of creating more jobs.
- bh24

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