Manufacturer to expand factory

FMF Foods Ltd has revealed its plan to expand its facility at its biscuit factory to cater to the increasing export demand.

Company managing director Ram Bajekal said the company’s primary focus was to meet the demand in Fiji and to ensure customers were not let down.

“Our Fijian market is filled in terms of its order rate and supply rate and where we have been missing quite often is that we have made market investments in a number of other countries and there is a tremendous goodwill that our brands enjoy there,” he said.

“In some of those countries, we are not always able to meet the demand and that is what our new focus will be with this new addition.”

The factory in Veisari will see a new unit addition for manufacturing as well as partly expanding in the area to address the space constraints in its Walu Bay premises.

According to FMF Foods Ltd, it has invested $23 million into capital items.

These include the modernisation project of its flour mill with upgrades to equipment such as plan sifters, roller mills and conveyors as well as a new colour sorter and an automated packing machine.

FMF Foods Ltd has also expanded its market and product range since the factory became fully functional in 2017.

It had created products such as Raun Raun and Sol Cracker which was specifically for the Melanesian markets of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

For the Fijian market, it has launched a new FMF Wholemeal Breakfast Cracker, which has additional dietary fibre for better health.

According to the company, it will be able to tap into the pool of employment in the Lami to Navua belt as at the moment the majority of its employees are from the Suva to Nausori corridor.

“The group is cognisant of the lack of employment opportunities for many people who live between Lami and Navua and reckons that the new facility will be as beneficial to this community as to FMF.

“The new unit is likely to add around 20 jobs to the 90 jobs already provided by the Veisari biscuit factory, which works three shifts, six days a week.”

The factory has also taken over the manufacturing of a few other products which were made in the Walu Bay factory.

It also boasts one of the most modern biscuit making machinery which was certified for SQF Level 3 (Safe Quality Food), regarded as one of the highest food safety standards.