Dairy company Ausnutria has been showing impressive growth results for years. Sales growth (37.3 percent) also continued in 2018; revenue increased to € 683.7 million. The gross margin increased to 49.3 percent due to a further shift of the product portfolio towards own brands infant nutrition, including the Dutch brands Kabrita and Neolac. As a result, the operating result and net profit increased explosively by 77.0 percent and 88.7 percent, respectively, to € 113.3 million and € 73.7 million.
The Dutch companies, including its participating companies and joint ventures, made a substantial contribution to the results from its upstream facilities and brands Kabrita and Neolac. Bart van der Meer, CEO of Ausnutria: “2018 was a great year, in which further in-depth investments were made for the implementation of our strategy. In particular investments in the development and training of our people, marketing, innovation, R&D and IT. We too have to deal with the difficult labor market in the Netherlands. That creates challenges. But the dynamics and culture of a medium-sized company with international aspects offers an attractive working environment for people who want to develop themselves in an accessible & more informal organization." Ausnutria is an important employer in the Northern Netherlands with a mix of professionals and highly trained technicians and researchers.
The year 2019 will be dominated by further growth, innovation and industrial developments. The factories in Ommen, Kampen and Leeuwarden will be adjusted this year to meet the (future) requirements of the Food and Drug Administration in China and the US. Efficiency and new technical applications also play a role here. An engineering study is currently being carried out for the future expansion of the production site in Heerenveen (phase 2).
