MOROCCO – Nestlé has marked a significant milestone, celebrating 30 years of operations in the Maghreb Kingdom since the establishment of its El Jadida factory, which locally manufactures the food giant’s Nido fortified full cream milk powder and growing up milk, and Nescafé products.
Nestlé’s heritage in Morocco goes back to 1927, when the first import operations began in the Kingdom.
The El Jadida food and beverage factory opened in 1992, caters to its Moroccan consumers and exports its products to Algeria, Tunisia, and Egypt, among other countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
Other than Nido and Nescafé, the company’s portfolio encompasses innovative products in a wide range of categories, with key brands including Nescafé, Nesquik, Chocapic, Cheerios, Gold Corn Flakes, Fitness, NAN, Nativa, and PreNan.
“Today, we celebrate three decades of commitment and efforts made by Nestlé Morocco in terms of investment, innovation and job creation that have enabled the group to position itself as a major player in the dairy sector and the production of soluble coffee in Morocco.
“We are proud of this presence anchored in the Kingdom which attests to the attractiveness and competitiveness of Morocco, the great potential of the agri-food industry and the quality of our human resources,” said Kingdom’s Minister of Commerce and Industry Ryad Mezzour.
Nestlé has invested more than MAD 630 million in Morocco in the last 10 years, providing indirect employment to 7,500 more people, and working with more than 70 partner entities to distribute its products across 85,000 retail outlets, grocery shops, pharmacies, and the food service industry.
The company today employs more than 428 people at its office food factory in the country, all working to bring to life its purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come.
Nestlé has also established collaborations with local governments, NGOs, authorities, and the private sector, with which it aims to Create Shared Value in areas including nutrition and general health, rural development, local sourcing, environmental sustainability, education, and youth career development.
“Through its production of quality food products that meet the needs of the local market and export, Nestlé Morocco is in line with the priorities of the sector in terms of promoting local manufacturing and strengthening the integration along the value chain.
“This contributes more to the food security and industrial sovereignty of our country, in accordance with the High Royal Guidelines,” said Ryad Mezzour.
El Jadida factory is also certified for environmental management and has achieved zero waste to landfill.
In 2021, it became home to the first solar plant in the port city of El Jadida, generating 1.7 GWh of electricity per year from a 7,000 m2 plot housing nearly 2,600 photovoltaic (PV) panels.
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