An agreement on the establishment and operation of Matvælamiðstöð Austurlands will be signed today at the dairy in Egilsstaðir. Matís will hire an employee for Matvælamiðstöðin.
Þróunarfélag Austurlands, milk producers in Hérað, Búnaðarsamband Austurlands, Auðhumla, the municipality of Fljótdalshérað and Matís are responsible for projects on the development of a development center for small-scale food production.
In recent months, interested parties have been looking for ways to use the space in the Mjólkurstöðin's building in Egilsstaðir as a facility for small-scale food production. Extensive fermentation has taken place and a number of ideas have been discussed. This work has been carried out under the direction of Þróunarfélag Austurlands together with milk producers in Hérað, Búnaðarsamband Austurlands and Auðhumla. Matís and the municipality of Fljótsdalshérað have now joined the project. It has been decided to name the project, East Iceland Food Center.
The main goal of the project is to build a development center for small-scale food production, ie to establish small-scale production, product development and research on agricultural products, and to utilize the dairy's space for that purpose.
The space in the dairy at Egilsstaðir that is not used for milk processing today will be used for this purpose. Auðhumla will provide the premises and a special agreement will be made on that as well as the equipment that is available. Partners will work together to ensure the progress of the project so that the facilities in the dairy can be used for development work, teaching, courses and experimental activities in the food industry.
In the near future, Matís will hire an employee for the Food Center and the premises will be prepared for the operation. Matís invests heavily in its operations outside the capital area and in collaboration with companies and stakeholders, but the company operates offices in six locations outside Reykjavík.
Matvælamiðstöð Austurlands will collaborate on product development and research on dairy products, etc.