French cheese maker, Fromageries Bel, whose brands include The Laughing Cow, is investing EUR25m (US$32.9m) in its two of its French production plants in the centre-west of the country.
Investment will target modernising manufacturing equipment, adding new capacity and increasing productivity.
The two plants, located in Evron and Sablé, produce Bel’s Mini-Babybel et Kiri brands and have a current combined annual capacity of 70,000 tonnes.
The investment programme will be implemented from early 2007 and cover an 18-month period. Funding from the European Union, the French State and other public authorities, will account for roughly 20% of the total amount.
Bel’s most recent investments have been outside of France, notably in Syria, Algeria, Canada and Turkey.
