Fonterra opens new European headquarters in Amsterdam
Global dairy company Fonterra is now closer to the heart of Europe’s dairy and food innovation hub with the official opening of its new Amsterdam office. The company announced the official opening in a press release.
Closer to partners
The Amsterdam office was opened in February 2011 by Mr. Verhagen, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovations. The move to Amsterdam brings Fonterra closer to its partners and food manufacturing customers as well as opening the door for new ideas and products.
Andrei Mikhalevsky, Fonterra’s Managing Director of Global Ingredients and Food Services, says the move to Amsterdam demonstrates Fonterra’s commitment to growing its European business through investment in dairy research and innovation.
Strong relationship
“Our new office in Amsterdam provides a home to our international sales force as well as a local technical centre to support the growth of our value-added and specialty ingredients portfolio in Europe. Fonterra already has a strong relationship with the Netherlands to build upon. As well as our existing partnerships and trading presence, we have also chosen to use Dutch ports and distribution channels for the majority of our exports to Europe” says Mr. Mikhalevsky.
Attractive consumer market
Fonterra’s General Manager for Europe, Koert Liekelema, says Europeans are the largest and most sophisticated consumers of dairy products. “We share the Dutch dairy industry’s commitment to innovation and to demonstrating the sustainable goodness of dairy products to future generations of consumers,” he says.
Strong business climate
Minister Verhagen said: “The arrival of the European headquarters of Fonterra is an asset for the Dutch agri-food sector. Their coming is also a recognition of our strong business climate. We in the Netherlands have much to offer in terms of our own expertise and knowledge in the field of dairy and logistics.”
Welcomed by dignitaries
A host of European and New Zealand dignitaries attended the opening including the Amsterdam Alderperson Carolien Gehrels (Economic Affairs) and New Zealand’s ambassador to the Netherlands, George Troup. Guests were greeted with a Maori Pōwhiri (traditional Maori welcome), enjoyed an array of New Zealand foods and had the chance to participate in a cheese tasting with technical experts.
amsterdam inbusiness
Fonterra moved its European headquarters from Hamburg to Amsterdam with the support of amsterdam inbusiness and the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA).
About Fonterra
Fonterra is a global leader in dairy nutrition - the preferred supplier of dairy ingredients to many of the world’s leading food companies. It is also a market leader with consumer dairy brands in Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.
Fonterra is co-operatively owned by 11,000 New Zealand farmers and is the largest processor of milk in the world, producing more than two million tonnes of dairy ingredients, value-added dairy ingredients, specialty ingredients and consumer products every year.
Drawing on generations of dairy expertise, Fonterra is one of the largest investors in dairy-based research and innovation in the world. Their 16,000 staff work across the dairy spectrum from advising farmers on sustainable farming and milk production to ensuring they live up to exacting quality standards and deliver every day on their customer promise in more than 100 markets around the world.
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