Irish dairy company, Ornua, officially opened its new €30 million pizza cheese facility in Ávila, Spain.

According to Ornua, the new 35,000-tonne mozzarella and pizza cheese facility has the potential to double in size to enhance the company’s capacity and capability to become a world leading pizza cheese supplier. The dairy company already supplies cheese for over 100 million pizzas each year.

The Ávila premises opened two years to the day since the old site burnt down in a devastating fire. The rebuilt facility has witnessed an expansion and processing technology upgrade.

Ornua CEO, John Jordan said: “The opening of our new cheese facility here in Ávila is fully in line with Ornua’s growth strategy of investing in world-class strategic production facilities to secure long term results for Irish dairy farmers. This major investment will play a key role in enhancing our cheese ingredients capacity and capabilities.”

The site features a research and development centre with a pilot plant and innovation kitchen dedicated to developing the next generation of pizza cheese and cheese ingredients for the $130 billion global pizza market.

Irish ambassador to Spain, Sile Maguire said: “The new Ornua facility in Ávila reflects Irish and Spanish commitment to excellence and innovation in the food industry, and to our shared confidence in this vital sector.”

Alongside the site opening, the company launches Ornua Ingredients Europe bringing together its Spanish and UK Ingredients businesses.