New Delhi, October 15, 2024: Britannia Bel Foods has marked a significant milestone in its growth, nearly two years after being established as a joint venture between Britannia and Bel Group.
The company has inaugurated its cheese factory in India, dedicated to the local production of Britannia The Laughing Cow products.
Maharashtra is a leading state in India for milk production and boasts of a mature, well integrated dairy ecosystem, making it the “ideal choice” for the cheese factory location within Britannia’s Dairy food park in Ranjangaon.
The plant is fully integrated with a robust milk procurement program, sourcing ~4 lakh liters of 100% cow’s milk daily from over 3,000 farmers in Pune and surrounding areas. Britannia has scaled up the milk procurement program within a few years to 70 Village-Level Bulk Milk Coolers installed within a 100 km radius from the factory, spanning 10 tehsils in the Pune and near districts.
This initiative supports local farmers, ensures a sustainable supply chain, and reinforces Britannia’s commitment to community and agricultural development. Britannia’s Milk Collection Centers have advanced testing capabilities, ensuring that raw milk quality is assessed across 31 quality parameters at site and 20 additional parameters at unloading before being accepted at the factory.
With an investment of nearly 220 crores (around €23.9 millions) from the Joint Venture including the Britannia Dairy facilities being leveraged, the new Greenfield factory is located in one of Maharashtra’s largest food parks. It is integrated within Britannia’s state-of-the-art dairy production facility, which produces a comprehensive range of Britannia dairy products including now Britannia The Laughing Cow Cheese with a full range of products: slices, blocks, spread, diced and cubes.
Equipped with five production lines, the facility has a total production capacity of approximately 6,000 tons per year for natural cheese varieties like cheddar and mozzarella, and around 10,000 tons per year for processed cheese.
Varun Berry, Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of Britannia Industries, said: “Britannia is deeply committed to the well-being and prosperity of the milk farming communities that are at the heart of our business. Supporting over 3,000 milk farmers, our integrated farmer support program focuses on empowering them through sustainable cattle management, breeding, and feeding practices.
“By harnessing our integrated milk procurement program, we are setting new benchmarks in quality and sustainability while empowering dairy farmers at the core of our supply chain. The choice of Ranjangaon is a strategic one, as Maharashtra’s leadership in milk production aligns with our vision to create a hub for premium, locally sourced dairy products.
“We believe the new cheese facility will further strengthening Britannia and Bel Group’s strategic partnership and commitment to driving growth and innovation in the industry.”
Cécile Béliot, CEO of Bel Group, said: “I am proud to celebrate with Britannia the start of a state-of-the-art cheese factory leveraging the Bel 160-years legacy of operation on cheese. It is also a great moment to celebrate the growth of the national distribution of our Britannia The Laughing Cow range of products, and our triangular portion of processed cheese specifically developed and designed to please millions of children in India according to the reports published in fdiforum.net.
“At Bel Group, we aim at contributing to healthier and more sustainable food, creating value alongside our ecosystem, with accessible products answering local nutritional needs. I believe that Britannia and Bel, through this joint venture, and even more now with the opening of this factory have the right know-how and market capabilities at hand to take a leading position with Britannia The Laughing Cow in India.”
Mr. Abhishek Sinha, CEO Britannia Bel Foods Private Limited, said: “Britannia Bel Foods’s state-of-the-art Cheese facility brings the best of Bel Foods’ global expertise to India, combining cutting-edge technology with world-class manufacturing standards. This plant embodies our commitment to delivering premium, locally made Cheese that meets the highest benchmarks in quality and innovation.
“This facility further solidifies the relationship between Britannia and Bel, and the journey of further strengthening our Cheese business in India, supported with a fully integrated dairy program. With this, we are poised to offer Indian consumers an unmatched Cheese experience, tailored to their evolving tastes.”
