April 23, 2010

Finnish Atria opens new plant in Russia

Atria, a Finnish meat and food processing company, has launched a new meat processing plant in Russia's Gorelovo industrial zone (Leningrad region).

The new plant will have a capacity to process up to 90 tonnes of meat per day, which will allow Atria to occupy leading positions in the European part of Russia, according to reports.

Matti Tikkakoski, CEO of Atria said the company's customer base in Russia covers about 25 million people. In the short-term the company is planning to occupy leading position in the European part of the Urals, which has about 100 million potential consumers.
 
Increasing its own production capacities will allow Atria to start a massive expansion of the Russian meat market. Currently the company owns a pig-breeding complex in the Moscow region, and plans to invest EUR40 million (US$53.3 million) in the development of Dan Invest farms - a subsidiary of the Danish AS Dan Invest, 26% stake of which is owned by Atria.

The Gorelovo plant will specialise in the production of sausages and cooked sausages under the "Pit-product" brand. Sergey Ivanchenko, an executive director of Atria Russia, says the company expects further specialisation in Russia.

The Gorelovo plant will be the second Atria's facility in the Leningrad region after Sinyavino plant, which specialises in the production of smoked sausage. The company also has a Moscow plant which produces products under the Campomos brand.