Seven young farmers, from Cumbria and Girvan in Scotland were invited to tour the plant this week.
During the visit, the dairy producers learned about the Nestlé supply chain and how the quality of their milk impacted Nescafé Café Menu production at the site. The Dalston factory produces Nescafé Café Menu products, such as cappuccino and latte.
Nestlé and First Milk launched the Next Generation Dairy Leaders Programme in February 2016. The scheme aimed to identify, nurture and develop the next generation of dairy leaders.
Dairy supply chain
The farmers took part in a range of activities, including an interactive demand planning game to help improve their knowledge of the dairy industry and give them a greater understanding of the dairy supply chain from field to consumer.
The programme was part of Nestlé’s partnership with First Milk to improve the sustainability of their farms and develop a more sustainable and efficient supply chain with a reduced environmental impact.
The Nestlé First Milk Partnership included 106 farmers in Cumbria, Ayrshire and Wigtownshire providing high quality fresh milk used in the manufacture of brands, such as Nescafé Café Menu and KitKat.
Speaking after the visit, George Brown, a 25-year-old farmer from Cumbria, said: “It has been fantastic learning about the larger supply chain and what goes on ‘beyond the farm gate’.
Now, more than ever, it is too easy to get bogged down in day-to-day activities with the cows, so to be shown the wider industry and how we fit in with a global company like Nestlé has been, and will continue to be, an eye opening experience.”
‘Made using our milk’
Jennifer Galloway, 28 year old farmer from Girvan, added: “It was very interesting to see where our milk goes and how some of the country’s most famous products are made using our milk.
My experience at Nestlé has made me look at the dairy industry in a different way and I look forward to learning even more as part of the programme.”
The visit to the Dalston factory was the second event in the Next Generation Dairy Leaders Programme.
Nestlé UK used 140M litres of milk each year to produce its confectionery and Nescafé products. Its milk purchases accounted for 1% of the UK’s total milk volume and 8% of Scotland’s supply.