The Tkachev Agricultural Complex, an agricultural holding founded by the father of Russian Agriculture Minister Alexander Tkachev, will start constructing its first cheese-making factory by the end of the year, the RBC newspaper reported Thursday.
The factory will be built in the town of Vyselki in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, near an existing milk factory owned by the holding, the company's CEO Yevgeny Khvorostina told RBC.
According to Khvorostina, the factory will start producing cheese in 2017. The factory will manufacture hard cheeses, including Maasdam and Emmental, as well soft cheeses such as mozzarella.
In terms of output, the factory will become one of the largest in Russia, Khvorostina said, adding that investment in the project will total 8 billion rubles ($121 million).
The Tkachev Agricultural Complex — one of the largest agricultural holding companies in the Krasnodar region — is set to start producing cheese amid the ban on many Western food items, imposed by Russia last year in response to EU and U.S. sanctions.
Following the embargo, cheese imports dropped to 94,300 tons in the first eight months of the year, RBC reported, citing a report by the National Union of Dairy Producers.
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