Food processing news : Lamb Weston / Meijer and Belaya Dacha Group have opened their jointly owned RUB8.7 billion (€115 million) french fry factory in Lipetsk in western Russia.

Lipetsk French Fry Factory in Russia

According to Lamb Weston / Meijer, the French fry plant will help in meeting almost all of the import demands for French fries in Russia through its local production of the frozen snack product.

Lamb Weston / Meijer is the joint venture of US potato processing company Lamb Weston and Meijer Frozen Foods in Europe, which was created in 1994.

Their partner in the Lipetsk French fry factory – Belaya Dacha Group is a Russian food company that produces ready-to-eat salad and vegetable products.

Victor Semenov – supervisory board chairman at Belaya Dacha Group, commenting on the opening of the new Lipetsk potato processing plant, said: “This potato processing plant is one of the key priority projects for the Belaya Dacha Group. I am glad we have combined our knowledge and comprehensive international experience in French fries production with a partner from abroad. With this new plant, we believe we will be able to successfully realize the new direction of food production in Russia.”

This Lipetsk French fry factory has brought with it 218 new jobs in the city and will have a processing capacity of around 200 thousand tons of potatoes per year by the end of next year.

Commenting on the opening of the Lipetsk French fry factory, Bas Alblas – CEO of Lamb Weston / Meijer, said: “We are proud that we are opening the first large scale French fries plant in Russia today.

“Together with our partner Belaya Dacha, we have built this beautiful plant in Lipetsk that provides us with a unique opportunity to expand our position in the Russian market, while supporting our international key accounts in optimizing their own value chain, growing their businesses in the region and meeting local needs.”

The new potato processing plant has signed up fast food giant McDonald’s as its first customer for its frozen French fries offtake. Other foodservice and retail companies are expected to follow suit, said Lamb Weston / Meijer.

Khamzat Khasbulatov – Chairman of McDonald’s Russia, talking on the opening of the Lipetsk French fry factory, said: “With the opening of the French fries production facility, 98% of McDonald’s products will be sourced from Russian suppliers, entailing 160 flagship companies of the Russian agricultural-industrial complex.

“We are proud that Belaya Dacha has been together with McDonald’s from the very first years of our operation in the Russian market. Moreover, we have already had an effective cooperation with Lamb Weston for over 15 years.”

According to the latest food processing news, Belaya Dacha has come up with a farmer school that will grow a special type of high-quality potatoes for the Lipetsk French fry factory which will also procure the vegetable from local farmers.

  Bas Alblas, Belaya Dacha Group, Food processing news, French fry factory, French fry plant, Khamzat Khasbulatov, Lamb Weston, Lamb Weston/Meijer, Lipetsk, Lipetsk French fry factory, McDonald’s Russia, Potato processing plant, Russia, Victor Semenov