New factory in Porreres specialises in yoghurt and other dairy products

BALEARIC agriculture minister Mateu Morro opened a new plant for transforming dairy products in Porreres.
Its name is Prilac, short for Factory of Island Milk Producers, and it plans to open its premises to visitors interested in the manufacturing process.
The government has a share in the company, set up to save the small dairy farms and goat keepers, and rescue a sector of the market which the other dairy firms on the island do not cover. Prilac was set up in December 2001, to build and run a new factory for transforming milk products and so far more than 2.5 million euros have been spent on the project. It began marketing its products last December and now distributes to 400 sales points, but my local supermarkets are not among them.
It specialises in producing curds (cuajada), cheese and high quality natural yoghurts.
It also offers cottage cheese (requesón) and leche merengada (which is a type of cinammon flavoured milkshake) and is experimenting with keffir.
It is currently producing 40'000 litres a week, but its maximum capacity is 50'000 litres per day and shift.
The factory has a staff of 16 persons.
It plans to set up a shop of its own, which will also sell other Balearic products, and is considering setting up its own repair and maintenance department. Among those present at the opening were government leader Francesc Antich, government spokesman Antoni Garcias, Dolça Mulet of the Council of Majorca, Mateu Ginard, the director general of rural development and Joan Sastre, the Mayor of Porreres.