Stretching further: Clandeboye’s record mozzarella season

Fuelled by growing global demand, the Co-op’s Clandeboye site notched up another record season of mozzarella, while investment is helping strengthen the site for the future.

At Clandeboye, the mozzarella lines have hardly let up.

Following a record-breaking mozzarella season in FY25, the South Canterbury site delivered another record for FY26 – turning your milk into cheese destined for pizzas, pastas and quick-service kitchens in more than 25 countries, including China and across Southeast Asia.

The site’s record volumes of Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) mozzarella notably didn’t come from new capacity either. Instead, it came from getting more out of what’s already there, through sharper plant operations, efficiency and performance. Clandeboye is the Southern Hemisphere’s largest producer of natural mozzarella, supplying major restaurant brands globally. Using the Co-op’s patented technology, mozzarella can be made in around six hours, rather than the traditional three-month process.

Cheese Manufacturing Manager Raj Singh says IQF mozzarella remains a key Foodservice product for the Co-op.

“Our quick-service restaurant customers expect demand to keep growing, driven by population growth and urbanisation,” he says.

“Across Asia-Pacific in particular, consumers want quick, convenient meal options. As our customers open more stores, their need for cheese keeps increasing.”

Recognised at Best Site Cup

The team’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed at this year’s Best Site Cup awards, with Clandeboye picking up awards across delivery, customer focus, health and safety, and quality. The site took home the Delivery Excellence Cup for its record mozzarella production, along with the Customers Cup for its strong customer focus. It also won the Health and Safety Cup for a proactive approach to reducing risk and building a strong safety culture on site.

Product quality earned its own share of the spotlight, with the site taking out both the Greater China Quality Star Cheese Cup and the Milk Fats Cup – a reflection of consistent delivery into key markets.
 

Building for the future

Alongside the mozzarella momentum, work is well underway on a $75 million butter plant expansion at Clandeboye. It’s part of the Co-op’s commitment to invest up to $1 billion over the next three to four years in projects that lift returns from high-value dairy. The new build is on track, with the team working through a tight winter shutdown window connecting new equipment into the existing plant to enable increased butter production.

Once complete, the new line will broaden the range of butter formats produced on site, including Halal and Kosher options, to meet demand from international ingredients customers and professional kitchens. Site Manager Ross Burdett says the expansion is an important development for the site and the wider community.

“The new butter line will allow us to produce a wider range of butter formats for customers around the world, while creating 16 new jobs here in South Canterbury and strengthening the Co-op’s South Island manufacturing network.”

Commissioning is planned for early 2027, with first product expected off the line by autumn that year – another step in turning your milk into more value, in more places.