olam food ingredients (ofi) marks dairy milestone adding manufacturing capacity to meet the needs of customers across the Middle East and Africa

SINGAPORE - EQS Newswire - 16 October 2023 - Expands plant facility & strengthens capabilities of Ingredient Excellence Center in Malaysia; New category labs with state-of-the-art R&D equipment enabling production teams to refine and develop customizable food and beverage solutions tailored to local requirements; ofi (www.ofi.com) to showcase new products and innovation offering at Gulfood Manufacturing, Dubai, anchored by Malaysia expansion and new dairy production plant in New Zealand.

ofi, a global leader in naturally good food and beverage ingredients, has increased its ingredient manufacturing footprint by adding significant capacity to its dairy production facility in Johor, Malaysia. Through commissioning a new milk powder dryer and gravity flow production system, ofi remains laser focused on servicing customers across the Middle East and Africa.

Sandeep Jain, Managing Director and CEO, Dairy, at ofi commented: "The demand for nutrition-rich functional dairy ingredients continues to grow at pace across the Middle East & Africa and these new capabilities enable us to co-create products that are focused on health, taste and convenience. With food safety and operational excellence at the core of the plant design, we're ensuring consistent product quality and stability. We're excited to now offer customers in the region even more exciting innovation-led opportunities."

The enhancements to the Johor processing facility's capabilities will strengthen the production volume of functional dairy ingredients and fat filled milk powder made per year, in turn enabling ofi's customers to formulate innovative applications at scale. In addition, the expanded integrated dairy Ingredient Excellence Center ("IEC") has new laboratory spaces with state-of-the-art research and development equipment dedicated to supporting customers seeking a customizable, tailored and cost-efficient approach to application solutions in beverages, bakery and frozen dairy desserts.

Local customers across the region will also benefit from ofi's deep working knowledge of nuanced consumer trends. An example from Senegal where local ofi teams worked in close collaboration with yogurt producers, building their understanding around the differing priorities from yield to viscosity and color, highlights the differentiated offering that ofi delivers for its customers. These insights were then shared with research and development teams at the Malaysia plant to refine and develop customizable food and beverage solutions tailored to local market requirements. Added to this are the technological developments resulting from the installation of a new gravity flow production system at the plant. The new system allows for less powder particle breakage and leads to improved wettability and solubility of the end product.

ofi will be presenting at Gulfood Manufacturing – Dubai, between 7^th to 9^th November, engaging regional customers about the enhanced dairy production capabilities from the Malaysia plant along with the upcoming opening of the new dairy processing plant in the heart of New Zealand's dairy region, producing whole milk powder and other high-value dairy ingredients. It will also be a chance to spotlight innovative beverage and bakery product applications along with a range of milk applications made from ofi's fat filled milk powder.

Shashi Sharma, Regional Sales Manager for Africa, Dairy, at ofi commented: "The expanded capabilities and enhanced facilities at our Malaysia dairy plant speaks directly to our aim of becoming a more customer-centric organization, providing a customizable approach across each of the markets in which we operate across Africa. Our signature Lactorich range of dairy solutions continue to transform the way consumers experience this healthy and nutritious product. In East Africa, we're providing customers with a milk powder called Vers that is robust and both coffee and tea-stable, offering optimized performance in functionality, value and taste, helping our customers create better dairy products with no added flavors. We're also delighted to be showcasing yogurts made from our Lactorich Pluz powder at Gulfood Manufacturing next month, a cost-effective and high yield product that has been developed to suit the requirements of customers, particularly across West African markets."

Zakariae Bensouda, Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East, Dairy, at ofi commented: "The new facilities both complement ofi's existing global footprint and also strengthen our co-creation capabilities across the region, with the plant strategically located to continue to serve Middle East based customers in creating their next delicious and nutritious product for consumers. Lactorich Prime is a versatile milk powder that can replace whole milk powder across a variety of applications, serving customers across a range of Middle Eastern markets. It is a premium, clean label product, developed using natural ingredients that has been tailored to meet taste and texture needs of consumers across UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman."

Sustainability is also a central component of the plant design. It uses solar power, rainwater harvesting and operates at a high efficacy rate with strong energy and water consumption practices, with close to zero raw material wastage.

Gulfood Manufacturing

• ofi Dairy Stand No. B8-38 (Hall 8, Dubai WTC)