Spanish meats-processing company Campofrio will invest EUR15m (US$17.86) to build a new pig farm and meat factory outside Moscow, Russia, a company spokesman confirmed to just-food on Thursday (9 February).
Madrid-based Campofrio is pursuing the project to supply its local Campomos unit with cheaper meat to make products such as sausage, salami and ham.
“The idea is to build a factory that can produce cheaper raw materials,” the spokesman said, adding that Russian hog-meat prices have doubled in recent years.
The factory will begin construction in the Spring and become fully operational sometime in 2007. It will be built 150 kilometres from Moscow, most likely beside one of Campomos’ two local factories, the spokesman noted.
The plant will rear 55,000 pigs and produe 6,000 tonnes of meat, the spokesman confirmed. That’s 1,000 tonnes more than the 5,000 tonnes Campomos uses.
Spanish press reports said Campofrio plans to sell part of the factory’s production to third parties but the spokesman would not confirm that much.
Campofrio entered Russia in 1990 after forming a 50/50 joint venture with local meats supplier Mosmia Soprom. Since then, it has gradually raised its stake to 100%.
