Consolidated Biscuit, renowned for producing 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 on Wednesday, where he was presented with the investment plan that the company is undertaking with the assistance of INDIS Malta.

INDIS Malta, previously known as Malta Industrial Parks, is responsible for the administration of Government-owned industrial parks and related facilities around Malta and Gozo, as well as supporting and promoting their further development.

Built over an area of 3,000 square meters, the new factory, Minister Schembri said, will see “strong activity from engineers, builders, health and safety officers, as well as several others, amounting to 55 workers who are involved in the construction through INDIS Malta.

“This project is simultaneously helping other factories that 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.”

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 itself 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 catering for its operations.

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 TradeMalta, a public-private entity tasked with assisting companies to go international.

Minister Schembri described how despite a challenging international scenario, further compounded by Brexit which has affected several European markets, including that of Malta, Consolidates Biscuits 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 per cent in export volume for this company.

“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 in the past five 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 TradeMalta 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.”