FDBusiness.com

Atria, which is one of the leading meat and food companies in the Nordic countries, Russia and Estonia, is focusing on the growing its poultry segment and is starting to plan a major expansion in production. According to preliminary estimates, the value of the investment is approximately €130 million. The investment project includes the renovation of existing production facilities and the construction of new production facilities and lines at Atria’s Nurmo plant in Finland.

Consumption of poultry meat has been growing strongly in Finland for several years. Since the beginning of 2019, consumption has increased by about 4% in value. The planned investment project will strengthen Atria’s position as a market leader in poultry products.

“We will initiate the project planning based on preliminary studies. If implemented, the investment would be one of the largest single investment projects in Atria’s history. We have a strong belief in Finnish food production and the fact that the Finnish meat industry will succeed against international competition, as long as we have courage to invest in it,” says Juha Gröhn, chief executive of Atria.

The first step is to start the application process for regulatory approvals and to complete them as soon as possible. After the planning phase, the decision on the implementation will be made. The project is expected to be fully completed by the end of 2024 at the earliest.

Atria been listed on Nasdaq Helsinki since 1991 and its sales exceeded €1.44 billion in 2018.