A high-end cheese factory on Anglesey has fallen into trouble and is looking for a buyer. Mona Diary said she was “devastated” to have “failed” to deliver “Europe’s newest and most sustainable cheese factory”.
The company said it was unable to raise sufficient short-term funding from key stakeholders to “sustain operations in their current form”. A temporary milk buyer was found for the factory’s 31 farm suppliers. Staff will be maintained as long as possible while Mona Dairy works to the best of its ability.
The 25,000 sq ft factory at Mona Industrial Park opened in early 2023 with the ultimate aim of producing more than 30,000 tonnes of Welsh and continental cheeses each year. Around £27 million was spent on building and running the cheese factory, with a further £10 million earmarked for future expansion.
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Mona Dairy is co-owned by Ronald Akkerman, who previously developed large dairy projects in the UK and the Netherlands, and David Wynne-Finch, a prominent dairy farmer from Pentrefoelas, Conwy. In a statement, they said they still hoped to “secure a new outcome in the coming days”, adding that they hoped Mona Dairy “will be able to continue its journey, even if that means being under new ownership”.
Mr Akkerman said: “We tried our best to deliver the best and most modern, environmentally sustainable cheese processing plant for our farmers and for Wales and we are devastated that we could not get it over the line. We were so close. But close wasn’t enough.
“We thank all the many people who have come along with us on our journey and we are truly sorry to lose a step. The shareholders will be working tirelessly over the next few days to ensure the best possible outcome for everyone involved in the Mona Dairy project.”
The ambitious project was designed to create an outlet for milk from herds of dairy cows calving in the spring. Such herds are cheap and efficient, but may have difficulty accessing traditional processors because their milk production is not year-round. The North Wales Whatsapp Community for the best stories and breaking news is now live – here’s how to sign up
Eventually, it was hoped that milk production at the plant would rise to 150 million liters per year. Mona Dairy said it had struggled for five years to get the business off the ground but was confronted with “many factors beyond our control”.
Responding to the news, Ynys Môn MS Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “The news of the difficulties faced by Mona Dairy is disappointing and concerning and my thoughts are with the staff and suppliers. Mona Dairy has emerged as a potentially very important employer in recent years and I want to see what more can be done to try and tap into the potential of this part of the food sector in the coming years, but it’s clearly early.”
As a short-term solution to the plant shutdown, Meadow Foods is taking milk from existing milk suppliers should they wish to take advantage of this option. Mona Dairy has assured farmers that they will be paid for any milk supplied under the interim arrangement.
Ynys Môn MP Virginia Crosbie named the company as one of “the most progressive companies in Anglesey” last year. At the 2023 Anglesey show, Mona Dairy unveiled a new electric milk tanker and outlined plans to switch its entire milk collection fleet to battery power to achieve net zero. Get the best island stories from our Anglesey newsletter – sent every Friday
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