Milk plant open for business
Mataura Valley Milk officials all cut the opening ribbon together at the opening of the new plant in Gore yesterday. Ten years ago Ian ‘‘Inky’’ Tulloch had a vision of converting 50 acres of land and some disused sale yards at McNab into a milk plant. Yesterday that vision was realised.
Ten years ago Ian ‘‘Inky’’ Tulloch had a vision of converting 50 acres of land and some disused sale yards at McNab into a milk plant.
Three years ago he travelled to China to sign with investors, the Chinese Animal Husbandary Group, signalling the plant would become a reality.
Just six months later, tragedy struck when he crashed his race car in an incident that nearly claimed his life.
But yesterday, he cut the ribbon at the official opening of the plant, Mataura Valley Milk.
Tulloch told an audience of staff, farmer shareholders, shareholders, suppliers, and central and local government representatives that it felt nostalgic being at the opening of a project he started 10 years ago. ‘‘The community needed a large corner stone investor to come forward and fortunately China Animal Husbandry Group came forward.’’
The group provided the significant capital investment needed and access to key global markets. ‘‘They are visionary people.’’ Production at the plant, which employs about 70 people, began in August.
‘‘The first container of product went overseas last week and that is the first of many more to come.’’
Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor, who was at the official opening, said the plant was a base for further development opportunities for New Zealand and for the farmers that supplied milk.
‘‘It pushes the opportunity for New Zealand dairy to a new level and I guess others will catch up and we’ve just got to work on that across the country.’’
Mataura Valley Milk general manager Bernard May said the plant was part of a strategic plan to invest in the world’s most advanced production technology, people and systems to deliver world-class nutrition, including food for babies and toddlers. ‘‘It’s taken a phenomenal effort, in excess of 900,000 hours, from a lot of people across a lot of sectors to get to where we are today.’’
May said he believed the right balance had been struck to achieve a successful partnership model allowing shareholders, including farmer shareholders, to invest in the global nutrition market. ‘‘We’re keeping our milk price above the competition allowing our farmer shareholders to develop a culture of excellence that our nutritional customers can engage with.’’
May said the plant was running at capacity, processing about 700,000 litres of milk a day, and the first shipment of whole milk powder left in early November. ‘‘The plant is performing at peak milk processing capacity in its first year with no major issues.’’
Nutritional product trials begin in mid-December, with the first commercial production set down for February.
A rigorous testing process follows, with first nutritional products likely to be leaving the plant in April. The vision was to be the world’s best nutrition business, he said.
The opening of the nutrition plant heralds in a new era of growth in the south, Gore district mayor Tracy Hicks said.
Hicks said the plant represents the largest investment the district had seen.
The flow on effect would touch all corners of the community, he said. ‘‘The Gore district was built on the solid foundations of the agricultural sector. ‘‘This plant is a corner stone to ensuring a strong future in terms of the people it will bring and the services that will come here to support it.’’
The construction of the plant, which began in December 2016, had been a huge undertaking for council staff, Hicks said.
‘‘We are small in terms of staff numbers and this project has touched most areas of the organisation, from the building team to roading to 3 Waters.’’
The council had worked tirelessly to meet its regulatory obligations to residents and the environment, he said.