The Dutch firm, a joint venture between goats' cheese maker Bettinehoeve and sheep and goat milk product exporter AVH Dairy Trade, expects operations at its new plant to begin on 1 May 2014.
The facility, which boasts sufficient capacity to process five tonnes (5,000 litres) of goat milk per hour, will produce full cream milk powder (FCMP) and whey protein concentrate 65% (WPC65). The company is also outsourcing the production of demineralized whey protein and lactose.
Speaking with DairyReporter.com, Arnauld van Hees, managing director of Goat Milk Powder, claimed that the company will be able to offer infant formula manufacturers something others can’t - a one stop shop for essential goat milk ingredients.
“We are able to supply ingredients used in infant formula products such as milk powder, WPC, lactose and demineralized whey,” said van Hees. “That’s a unique message to the dairy world. Until recent months [goat’s milk] lactose, demineralized whey and WPC were not available. Goat’s milk infant formula processors are applying lactose from cow’s milk to their products – hence no 100% goat’s milk products.”
“We are adding something new,” he said.
“We are able to cater for the full line of goat dairy ingredients for this [sector].”
Customers "literally worldwide"
Alongside infant formula, van Hees pinpointed other business-to-business (B2B) opportunities for Goat Milk Powder in the sports nutrition sector and in high-end protein-enriched products for growing children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
"There are remarkable opportunities in other sectors like the sports industry, health care and (semi) pharma," he said.
Demand is such within from these industries that uptake of Goat Milk Powder products has been quick, said van Hees.
The “majority of production” is already spoken for by customers “literally worldwide,” he claimed.
"Value whey in its own right"
Goat milk processed at Goat Milk Powder's plant in Etten-Leur will be sourced by JV partner Bettinehoeve, which has a "long term presence in the goat milk market and long term relationships with their farmers."
Until now, whey produced as a by-product of soft cheese production at Bettinehoeve's manufacturing facility in Etten-Leur ended up as animal feed, said van Hees.
"Just like the processors of cows' milk have come to value whey in its own right, the processors of goat's milk have also discovered the possibilities to increase its value," he said.
"This new cooperation made it possible for us to obtain an adequate amount of fluid goat whey for the production of high-quality WPC and milk powder in a permanent and constructive way," van Hees added.