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Bankrupt cheese maker Mona Dairy attempts restart
Cheese maker Mona Dairy from Anglesey in Wales is investigating a restart. This was announced by director Ronald Akkerman to British media. He is in negotiations with cheese buyers about new financing.
The company, partly built with Dutch money, went bankrupt in August due to startup problems, not obtaining accreditation, and the aftermath of the corona period. At the bankruptcy, an uncovered bill of €43 million remained. The curator tried to recover some of this money, but many suppliers and capital providers still lost out. Among those suppliers were also a group of farmers who saw their milk money go up in smoke.
Winning back farmers
Akkerman hopes to eventually win back some of them, but initially aims to cautiously restart in February of the coming year with milk purchased on the market. Then he wants to gradually increase production again. It helps that, despite the bankruptcy, 15 employees have remained in the (almost brand new) factory. However, additional production lines need to be set up again. The plan is to be operational again by the end of 2026 with over 100 employees and a supply of 200 million kilograms of milk.
Compensation
Akkerman says that, in order to win back farmers, the victims of the bankruptcy need to be compensated. A scheme is needed for the old debt towards them and they need guarantees that they won't be left empty-handed again. One advantage is that many of the former suppliers are seasonal milkers who deliver little to nothing in the winter. They could re-enter by the new production season.
The modern cheese factory can produce 35,000 tons of Cheddar and other cheese annually, in a very sustainable manner and with virtually no CO2 emissions.
