A R650 million taste facility, Kerry, officially opened in Hammersdale, on 10 May. This strategic investment has been welcomed by the City as Invest Durban, along with other spheres of government and organised business bodies, have played a key role in positioning the region as an attractive metro destination for high-value-add, export-oriented production.

These roleplayers facilitated the project from the initial enquiries from the Kerry Group, to being intimately involved in all aspects of construction, local supplier engagement, local finance arrangements, tax and customs support, right through to the final factory launch. The City’s Invest Durban will continue to work with Kerry Foods as part of the City’s Key Investor Aftercare Programme.

The new 10 000 m2 Kerry taste facility is one of the company’s most environmentally efficient manufacturing sites which will produce sustainable nutrition solutions that will be consumed across the African continent.

According to a statement released by Kerry, the facility has numerous sustainability features including low energy usage equipment, solar power generation to reduce consumption from the local grid, waste heat capture, and efficient water capture, reuse, and reduction.

The project is recognised as a key strategic investment, in the region of Durban, and within South Africa’s food manufacturing industry. It has been included as part of the South African Presidential Investment Drive to stimulate sustainable, equitable, and inclusive growth as the foundation for socio-economic transformation in the country. The new Durban facility will produce sustainable nutrition solutions for consumers across the continent.

Commenting on the opening, Edmond Scanlon, Chief Executive Officer of the Kerry Group said: “The opening of the facility in Hammersdale is a significant step forward in helping realise our vision of creating a world of sustainable nutrition. For 50 years, Kerry has focused on meeting local consumer needs grounded in great taste - one of the most important criteria in any food or beverage. Our suite of world leading technologies combined with our expertise and now this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility ensures that we can continue to work with our customers to produce great tasting, nutritious products that are respectful of our planet.”