€3 million investment in a new factory by The Consolidated Biscuit Company assisted by INDIS Malta

‘Strong activity pertaining to expansion and investment projects is currently underway in industrial areas that are generating industrial economic activity throughout Malta and Gozo, which activity is and will be essential for the creation of new jobs in the future’ – Minister Silvio Schembri

Consolidated Biscuit, renowned for the production of several popular snacks, will invest €3 million in a new factory in Mrieħel. This was announced by Minister for the Economy and Industry Silvio Schembri during a visit to the factory where was presented with the investment plan that the company is undertaking with the assistance of INDIS Malta.

‘The € 3 million investment in a new factory which is being constructed with the assistance of INDIS Malta, on an area of ​​3,000 square meters is complementary to another expansion project which is being executed by another renowned company, as well as complementing the rest of the industrial area. All this is generating strong activity from engineers, builders, health and safety officers, as well as several others amounting to 55 workers who are involved in the construction of this new factory through INDIS Malta. This project is simultaneously helping other factories which are gradually expanding in the area. These are projects which are generating industrial economic activity in our country in industrial areas spread around Malta and Gozo which are and will be even more essential for the creation of new jobs in the future. Therefore, I commend the fact that despite the challenges, you have continued to thrive with your operations, you have protected the jobs of your employees and you have seized the opportunity to strengthen your plans during these times,’ said Minister Schembri.

The €3 million investment in a new factory will allow the company to upgrade both existing, as well as new, more modern, automated machinery in a larger space, positioning it better to offer new products to its customers, both local and international. This move will eventually lead to Consolidated Biscuit relocating, by next year, part of its operations—which are currently located in the old factory—to this new modern facility. The factory will be divided into three floors, with the first two being the floors where it will be operating.

During the visit, it was explained that despite operating within the current extraordinary scenario, the food sector has continued to thrive, to the extent that the company is now casting its sights on new export markets with the help of Trade Malta.

Minister Schembri described how despite a challenging international scenario, further compounded by Brexit which has affected a number of European markets, including that of our country, this company has consistently managed to diversify its export market. In fact, the company exports more than 30 different products to more than 25 countries around the world: the Middle East, Africa, America. With regard to Canada and Switzerland there is a strong demand for its products, with the company now also considering the Irish and North African markets. This means 40% in export volume for this company. ‘Trade Malta has therefore continued to help and guide businesses to maintain their international presence, through participation in virtual fairs in various countries, as well as exploring new markets such as North Africa, Ghana, Rwanda and Ethiopia,’ said Minister Schembri.

“Events like today’s visit to Consolidated Biscuit are a great honour and pleasure for us at INDIS Malta, because during such instances we are able to make visible the extensive work we carry out to offer all our support to the private sector, ultimately enabling it to grow, flourish and achieve success. As INDIS Malta, we have done and continue to do our utmost to transform the challenges posed by the pandemic into an opportunity: the opportunity for introspection, to identify the needs of the country and in particular those of the industries we host in our industrial areas, and to be pro-active and invest so that our country has the infrastructure it needs to meet both the needs of today and those of the future,” said Karl Azzopardi, Chief Executive of INDIS Malta.

General Manager for Consolidated Biscuit Robert Ellul said that over the past 40 years the company has developed high quality and bespoke products to meet the needs of our customers. The investments done of over 6 million Euro in the past 5 years were a key factor in developing new export markets and be resilient to the challenges encountered through BREXIT and Covid 19. “The support we received from Trade Malta to market our products internationally and the investment by INDIS Malta in new modern factories is very important for the manufacturing industry. Today Consolidated Biscuit employs over 150 employees and our vision is to keep evolving the business through further investments, innovation and employee development.”