Yili’s Subsidiary Westland Milk Products Holds Groundbreaking Ceremony for Lactoferrin Plant in New Zealand
HOKITIKA, New Zealand, May 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — About May 23Yili’s subsidiary, Westland Milk Products, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of its NZ$70 million ($42.58 million) lactoferrin plant in Hokitika, New Zealand. The ceremony took place in the presence of from new zealand Minister for Trade, Export and Agriculture and MP for the West Coast of Tasman, Damien O’Connor; Director General of the Ministry of Primary Industries, Ray Smith; Chinese Ambassador to New Zealand, Wang Xiaolong; and Consul General of China in christchurchHe Ying.
Westland CEO Richard Wyeth welcomed the guests and gave them an overview of the background of the lactoferrin project. Resident Director of Yili Westland, Zhiqiang Litalked about the global market advantage that Westland and Yili would gain from Yili’s investment in the new lactoferrin plant.
The investment will allow Yili to rank among the top three leading global companies in the lactoferrin category, with a market share of around 10%.
“Today’s launch of the lactoferrin program will make Westland one of the world’s leading producers of highly sought-after bioactive ingredients,” Li told guests. “This investment also demonstrates Yili’s commitment to leading the world in high-value bioactive dairy ingredients.
“We were one of the first to market with this highly specialized protein ingredient and over the past 20 years have built a reputation as a maker of an exceptionally high quality product,” Wyeth said. “Our bioactive ingredient innovation pipeline is well advanced and we are excited to be one step closer to bringing these concepts to market.”
Lactoferrin, a multifunctional natural protein, provides immune benefits as well as antibacterial and antioxidant functions and is now widely used in food, pharmaceuticals and other industries. As a consumer-oriented company, Yili has anticipated consumer needs for products such as lactoferrin and is determined to bring more nutritious and healthier products to global markets. The company has invested considerable resources in R&D to address the challenges of lactoferrin extraction.
Over the years, Yili has successfully developed its own directional lactoferrin extraction and protection technology, which can significantly improve the quality of protein ingredients and increase the extraction efficiency.
According to analysts, lactoferrin is a crucial and scarce resource for the dairy industry. This project is therefore an important step in Yili’s efforts to overcome key technological barriers, strengthen its global influence and develop its long-term strategic layout.
The inaugural event was also attended by other distinguished guests, including: the Minister-Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, Chen Zhiyang; First Secretary at the Commercial Section of the Chinese Embassy in New Zealand, Pan Jiansheng; Consul at the Consulate General of China in christchurch, Xu Li; Vice Consul at the Consulate General of China in christchurch, Li Muqing; Director of Industry and Stakeholder Management at MPI, Steve Cunningham; Buller Mayor Jamie Cleine; West Coast Development CEO, Heath Milne; And Deputy Mayor of Westland, Ashley Cassin.
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