Cobb unveils $50m New Zealand facility

Location will supply nearly 2 million grandparent breeding stock birds to Asia Pacific region.

February 20, 2019

2 Min Read
Cobb nz-team FDS.png
Cobb

After two years of preparation and construction, Cobb recently celebrated the opening of its New Zealand pure-line facility. Hundreds of community members, Cobb New Zealand team members, company leaders and industry officials attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony in Rangiriri, Waikato.

“It’s just great to be here and be a part of this beautiful country,” Cobb-Vantress president Joel Sappenfield said. “We want to thank local marae cluster Ngā Muka Development Trust and Waahi Whānui Trust for their continuous support for Cobb New Zealand.”

The Asian Pacific is the poultry breeding company's fastest-growing region, and the new facility takes advantage of the favorable poultry health status that New Zealand enjoys, according to a news release. New Zealand has historically experienced lower occurrences of diseases such as avian influenza and, therefore, is expected to provide a stable and lower disease risk source that can supply the entire region, the company said. Cobb was Asia’s breed of choice in the Asia Pacific broiler market in 2017 and 2018.

Cobb’s nearly $50 million investment will produce grandparent chickens to breed high-value chicks, which will largely be exported to distributors and Cobb’s own operation in China to meet expected Asia Pacific demand. The complex includes one hatchery, one quarantine shed, nine rearing sheds and 12 production sheds. Customer delivery of breeding stock from the facility is expected to begin this summer.

During the celebration, the Horahora Marae tribe presented Cobb New Zealand leadership with a traditional Māori warrior axe carved from greenstone as a symbol of support. The Maori are the indigenous people of New Zealand who traveled to the area from eastern Polynesia around 1280 AD and today live throughout New Zealand.

Cobb then presented the Horahora Marae with a hand-stitched portrait of a Native American Indian chief featuring two original arrowheads. Native Americans traveled to the U.S. at least 15,000 years ago from Asia.

“As we have done with other Cobb facilities around the globe, we integrated the local community during the building stage — and now the operational stage,” Cobb New Zealand general manager Jimmy Chand said. “This allows for us to provide work for the community and ensures that our new state-of-the-art facility is functioning to supply our customers with consistent, quality products.”

When fully operational, the facility will employ nearly 100 team members, most of whom will come from the surrounding community.

Located in Rotongaro, South Auckland, on 368 acres, Cobb New Zealand is the newest addition to the Cobb family. The company will supply nearly 2 million grandparent breeding stock birds to Asia Pacific, including China, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.

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