Danone Baby Nutrition

Macroom Facility Supplies 80% of Danone's Baby Nutrition's Powder Needs

From its facility in Macroom DANONE supplies 80% of the company’s base powder for Europe. The facility is the largest and most technologically advanced within the DANONE Baby Nutrition global network.

A strong supply of quality milk is important to DANONE’s continuing success in Ireland. Donal Dennehy, DANONE Ind. Director Irl says the end of milk quotas in 2015 will be a significant event for DANONE’s business in Ireland facilitating greater raw material availability.

In advance of milk quotas ending, DANONE completed an investment of €55 million in Macroom in 2012. It invested a further €10 million in the site in 2013. This quadrupled the facility’s output, which now produces over 125,000 tonnes of infant formula annually.

DANONE operates a second facility in Ireland, based in Wexford, which produces consumer packs of leading infant milk brands. In 2012, DANONE also invested €20 million in its Wexford site in order to meet growing demand for its products across Europe. The investment in Wexford coincided with the 125th anniversary of the commencement of processing Cow & Gate infant and toddler milks in Ireland and underscores the continued importance of the Irish operations to the company globally. This was followed by a €26 million investment in 2013. “We are committed to creating the next generation of infant formula products, reflecting the latest breakthroughs in our research. We have a centre of excellence for the production of infant formula here in Ireland, and we are continuing to invest in both our Macroom and Wexford sites. We are not finished investing in Ireland and have more plans in the pipeline,” Donal Dennehy adds. The Irish Government supported both investments through Enterprise Ireland.

Donal Dennehy says a number of factors contribute to DANONE’s continued investment in Ireland. “The performance in the existing two plants in Ireland has been a major factor. Ireland is also seen as a good place to do business.”

He adds that Ireland’s well-educated and flexible workforce appeal to DANONE’s vision for growth. “We also work with scientific and technical centres in Ireland, such as Teagasc Moorepark, University College Cork and University College Dublin, where there is specific technical expertise on hand. There is a lot of innovation here in Ireland and we are tied into a wide R&D network here.”

From its facility in Macroom, DANONE produces infant milk base powder for sister baby food sites within the DANONE Group, which is destined for countries including: France, Germany, Holland, Poland, Russia, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and New Zealand. The Wexford site produces consumer packs of leading infant milk brands such as Aptamil, Cow & Gate, Nutrilon and Bebilon for the Irish, UK, Dutch, Belgian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese and Polish markets. The site also produces infant milk base powder for sister baby-food sites within the group.

DANONE in Ireland is comprised of DANONE Baby Nutrition (Nutricia), DANONE Dairy Ireland and Nutricia Advanced Medical Nutrition.