pening was the Federal Member for Murray, The Hon Dr Sharman Stone MP and Victorian Member for Rodney, Paul Weller MP, who joined local farmers and community members to witness the site produce its first batch of Perfect Italiano ricotta for sale.Managing director of Fonterra Australia, Judith Swales said “This investment strengthens our presence in northern Victoria and is another step towards achieving our goal of having the most competitive and sustainable dairy supply chain in Australia.”
“Perfect Italiano Ricotta is the number one brand of ricotta in Australia and its popularity will only increase as Australians continue to use ricotta more and more. This investment will ‘future-proof’ the Stanhope site and helps us continue to build on the success of the Perfect Italiano brand,” Swales said.
Construction of the new plant began in late 2013 and included large building works and the introduction of new ricotta machinery and equipment. The project was supported by a $250,000 grant from the Victorian Government’s Industries for Today and Tomorrow program
The Stanhope plant is one of Fonterra Australia’s major cheese manufacturing facilities. It produces a range of cheese products for domestic and export markets, and collects 340 million litres of milk annually from roughly 260 suppliers in the region.
