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Mona Dairy will be making cheese again from the beginning of June
British Mona Dairy, which was declared bankrupt last year, will start making cheese again in early June, says director Ronald Akkerman. The company was declared bankrupt last year because a major capital provider withdrew. That was a bitter pill for Mona Dairy, and also for the farmers who supplied it.
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Earlier it seemed other problems the cause of the bankruptcy. Accreditation no longer seems to be a major hurdle.
The bankruptcy did not affect everything, but only part of the company, which is located in Anglesey and is still almost brand new. The ownership of the land and part of the installations remained outside. This made it somewhat easier to restart, despite all the problems, says Akkerman.
Together with his British partner David Wynne-Finch, a new start has now been made, with different financing. Another cheese line has also been set up. Up to 35.000 tons per year can be produced, although this maximum will not yet be reached.
According to Akkerman, the cheese line was one of the problems. The previous cheese line could not be taken over due to problems with the old co-financier, the Vergeer family. The Vergeer family did not want to respond to a telephone request for comment.
Good outlets
Now, however, there is a cheese production line again, which can produce both cheddar and 'continental cheese'. Akkerman sees good sales opportunities, both in the United Kingdom and Europe. The return on cheese production is good and the demand is there. Whey also yields well, while the cost of milk in the United Kingdom is on average lower than in the EU.
Milk production is particularly high in the UK this year. Mona hopes to benefit from this, although drought is also a problem there. Initially, Mona wants to buy milk on the open market and make cheese from it. Akkerman understands that dairy farmers are a little more reluctant to commit to Mona after last year's experiences, but he hopes the company can regain trust.