Kerry opened its first plant in Russia, in the Istra district of Moscow, yesterday (Tuesday, September 18).
The new production and warehouse complex occupies a site covering more than 7,000m² and employs over 50 people.
Production begins immediately with ingredients for the meat processing and snacks market.
The facility was officially opened by: Minister for Agriculture for the Moscow Region, Andrei Razin; and Edmond Scanlon, Kerry Group chief executive.
Speaking at the opening, Minister Razin said: “Kerry has had a presence in Russia since 2006, and I am delighted to be here today to officially open its first production facility.
For us it demonstrates the company’s commitment to our great country and Kerry’s desire to continue to develop and grow its business in Russia.
“The opening of this modern and sustainably developed production plant will not only contribute to the development of the food industry in our region, but in all of Russia.”
Scanlon also spoke, adding: “Kerry has been in business in Russia for over 12 years; we opened our regional development and application centre in 2014, and the building of this state-of-the-art facility was for us the next logical step in the development of our business in the region.
“Over the years, our business here has gone from strength to strength and as the Russian food industry has developed and expanded, so have we and so has our customer base.”
Olivier Picard, managing director for Kerry Russia, said: “We believe in the development of the Russian market – the volume of retail trade in the country, according to forecasters, will increase by 6.8% by 2020 and we believe we can play a part in this and in the growth of foodservice.
“Additionally, the Russian Federation is the main gateway to the countries of the customs union and the CIS, areas we also see providing future growth potential.”