Kerry Group have today officially launched their Irish made infant nutrition product on the Chinese market in conjunction with leading domestic firm Beingmate.

Kerry's move into infant nutrition product manufacture was first revealed by the Irish Farmers Journal last July.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney today visited the headquarters of Chinese dairy company Beingmate to mark their strategic partnership with Kerry Group on selling infant formula produced in Ireland for the Chinese market. The Minister, on the fourth day of the Irish agri-food trade mission in China, is today in Hangzhou where he met with Beingmate and Kerry Executives to mark the recent launch of the “Green Love” infant formula product which is specially manufactured in Charleville Co. Cork for sale in the Chinese market.

Minister Coveney commented that “it is a huge source of pride to see a product produced in Co. Cork and so clearly associated with Ireland achieving this premium status in the world’s largest dairy market like China. This is exactly where the Irish dairy sector should be positioning itself if it is to realise its vast potential when dairy quotas are abolished next year”

The event in Hangzhou marked the recent introduction to Chinese consumers of the “Green Love” infant formula product which is produced at Kerry’s new €40m state of the art facility in Charleville, Co. Cork. The development of this site, which has created 100 new jobs, was supported by Enterprise Ireland as part of their support for dairy processing facilities.

Edmond Scanlon, Kerry Group President & CEO, Kerry APAC commented “Kerry has a long history in supplying high quality dairy ingredients to the infant nutrition market. The Group is committed to invest and expand its dairy and nutrition capabilities in Ireland to take advantage of our premium, integrated and sustainable milk supply. We have worked extensively with our global and Chinese partners to develop specialised nutritional ingredients for infant nutrition applications. The APAC region and China in particular will continue to be key growth markets for Kerry and the Irish dairy industry. Ireland with its strong focus on innovation and nutrition, supported by a sustainable production model and strong Irish Government support will play a key role in supplying the Chinese market with safe, nutritious and innovative milk products for many years to come.”

The visit also included a signing ceremony where Minister Coveney provided a letter of endorsement on behalf of the Irish Government cementing Kerry’s reputation as a supplier of premium dairy product and ingredients produced to the most rigorous food safety and reliability standards.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by Mr. Tao Huang, General Manager of Beingmate and Edmond Scanlon from Kerry. Minister Coveney said “I was pleased to supply such a letter of endorsement for one of Ireland’s leading indigenous companies as they embark on this latest phase of international development. The sustainability claims which lie behind Kerry’s story and how they turn Irish milk into a high value product is the culmination of many years of research and investment in technology. This new entry into the finished infant formula market in China is good news for their suppliers and like investments in other Irish dairy processing facilities bodes well for jobs and investment in rural Ireland in the coming years”.