Finnish dairy business Valio is celebrating the grand opening of its new €170 million (US$199.8 million) eco-friendly plant geared up to innovate with new snacking recipes, experiment with sugar reduction and work with fats and protein. The dairy production plant took three years to build, covers an area of around 53 hectares and will give the Finnish dairy experts, an annual production capacity of 120 million kilos of yogurt products.

Valio – which is owned by dairy cooperatives comprising some 5,800 dairy farmers – exports to around 60 countries worldwide and accounts for 30 percent of Finland’s total food exports.

The production from this new plant is scheduled for export in nearby markets including Denmark and Sweden, before expanding to other countries.

It officially began operations in Valio Riihimäki, Southern Finland yesterday (August 17) and is being hailed as the “world's most modern snack plant” because of its significant use of state-of-the-art environmentally-friendly technology.

“Innovativeness, a wonderful taste, and responsible manufacturing practices. These are the things that people expect from their snacks, and our new snack plant meets these needs,” says Valio CEO Annikka Hurme.

“The plant is a concrete example of how seriously we take our responsibilities since many loss-reducing and natural resource-saving choices were made in its planning and construction. The new plant also combines Valio Riihimäki’s 50-year tradition of yogurt manufacturing with the most advanced technology,” promises Valio CEO Annikka Hurme.

“We at Valio believe in the future of responsible dairy production and profitable milk processing,” says Vesa Kaunisto, Chairman of the Board at Valio.

“The continued profitability of dairy farming is best ensured when the company they own, Valio, succeeds in a competitive field and, therefore, remains able to pay a good price to its shareholders through cooperatives. This modern snack plant makes us even more competitive, both in Finland and on the export market.”

A new standard of eco-friendliness
Environmental friendliness was at the forefront of the new plant with many choices and solutions being made to reduce waste and save resources.

“The material flows in the plant are efficient, because manufacturing of the products is straightforward. There are no unnecessary intermediate steps,” says project manager Jukka Partti. “For this reason, the raw materials used in production, the packaging materials, and the finished products themselves also flow seamlessly from one stage to another without excessive handling.”

The plant uses about 30 percent less energy per unit of production than the old factory Valio Riihimäki and to achieve maximum energy efficiency, it makes efficient use of the waste heat generated during manufacturing.

In the new type of refrigerated warehouse, the products are cooled quickly, while saving energy at the same time. The products are cooled by the free cooling method so that in colder weather the low outside temperature is used to make the process more energy-efficient.

Thanks to the energy-saving technology and heat recovery systems, it also uses energy production from the existing heat production plant. In other words, there was no need to expand capacity. More than three-quarters of the thermal energy used at Valio Riihimäki comes from renewable fuel.

Significant resources have also been invested in effective and efficient food loss management. The manufacturing and packaging equipment is designed to minimize product loss and the standards of hygiene in the plant are top-class since the manufacturing equipment is completely isolated from the surrounding environment.

The rigorous standards of hygiene reduce losses throughout the manufacturing chain, from the factory to the consumer’s table, says Valio.

The latest technology
The plant uses the very latest equipment and technology, allowing Valio to get the best possible benefit from its unique R&D expertise. The design of the new manufacturing processes in the plant has taken account of all the established operating and has integrated them with the new technology.

In the first phase, the plant will manufacture products that are already familiar to Finnish consumers, such as the Valiojogurtti series.

“Once it becomes fully operational, consumers around the world will also be able to enjoy a whole new kind of innovative snack products that are both healthy and delicious,” notes Valio.

New types of recipes for snacks will be used in the new plant. There are new ways to reduce sugar, and, for example, the protein or fat content of products can be varied in innovative ways.