Bankrupt cheesemaker Mona Dairy tries to restart

The company, partly built up with Dutch money went bankrupt in August due to start-up problems, not getting accreditation and the aftermath of the corona period. The bankruptcy left an uncovered account of €43 million. The receiver tried to recover some of this money, but many suppliers and capital providers lost out. These suppliers also included a group of farmers, who saw their milk money go up in smoke.

Winning back farmers
Akkerman hopes to win back some of them in the long term, but he initially aims to start up again carefully in February of next year with the help of milk purchased on the market. He then wants to gradually increase production again. What helps is that, despite the bankruptcy, 15 employees have remained in the (still almost brand new) factory. However, additional production lines will have to be set up again. The plan is to be up and running again by the end of 2026 with more than 100 employees and a supply of 200 million kilos of milk.  

Allowance
Akkerman says that in order to win back farmers, the victims of the bankruptcy must be compensated. A settlement is needed for the old debt to them and they need guarantees that they will not be able to whistle for their money again. One advantage is that many of the old suppliers are seasonal milkers, who deliver little to nothing in the winter. They could re-enter the new production season.

The modern cheese factory can produce 35.000 tons of Cheddar and other cheese annually, in a very sustainable way and with virtually no CO2 emissions.