Northern Ireland's Dale Farm sells cheese to Japan
Dale Farm, Northern Ireland's leading dairy company, has won its first business for cheese in Japan. The company, also the region's biggest dairy co-operative, has signed a significant contract with Hoko Co, a major food manufacturing business headquartered in Tokyo and is publicly listed on the Japanese stock exchange.
Dale Farm is supplying its cheddar cheese to Hoko, a manufacturer of dairy and frozen foods for the retail, wholesale and catering sectors in Japan. The deal was announced by Dale Farm at the recent international food show, SIAL 2014, in Paris.
"Our Dromona cheddar reflects the quality and flavour that Hoko is looking for to deliver the authentic taste of cheddar cheese to the Japanese consumer."
Dale Farm has invested over £50 million in its processing plants including its cheddar operation at Cookstown. It now has one of the most advanced cheese processing plants in Europe and is capable of producing up to 50,000 tonnes of high quality cheddar cheese annually.
"By investing heavily into our processing facilities we have been able to increase our capability and international competitiveness," adds Mr Cameron.
The contract is the most recent in a series won by Dale Farm for its award winning cheddars. It currently exports cheese and other dairy products to over 40 markets worldwide.
Hoko Co was formed in 1946 as a fishing business including salmon. Food processing operations started in 1959. A frozen food business was launched in 1967. The Hoko name was introduced in 2003 and the corporate headquarters was established in Tokyo that year. Cheese production began in 1964 with advice from a Danish processor.