Fonterra has ventured into the Brazilian pizza market with its first sale of its extra stretch Individual Quick Frozen (IQF) mozzarella. IQF mozzarella is the result of patented technology developed by the company.

Fonterra has ventured into the Brazilian pizza market with its first sale of its extra stretch Individual Quick Frozen (IQF) mozzarella.

It landed the sale with São Paulo’s oldest and most traditional pizzeria. Founded in 1924, Cantina Castelões is known for its pizzas and still sells the popular pizza that bears its name Castelões – mozzarella, tomato sauce and spicy Calabresa sausage – which is copied by other pizzerias.

Fonterra’s Foodservice Manager Brazil Hugo Melo said this is a small but significant step into a new market for mozzarella but the potential is huge.

“We’re working closely with Cantina Castelões because we believe our specially patented mozzarella is a superior product with great taste and extra stretch appeal and will save them time, money, labour costs and reduce wastage,” said Melo.

IQF mozzarella is made from New Zealand milk using technology developed at the Fonterra Research and Development Centre in Palmerston North. It is said to have features that bind the topping to the base, provide colour and texture and extra stretch – a key part of the pizza experience. According to the company, it is snap frozen at peak maturity to capture freshness and its authentic taste, and pre-shredded for ease of use.

Fonterra Global director Foodservice Grant Watson says IQF mozzarella is the jewel in the co-operative’s foodservice crown.

“It’s a fantastic and popular product in our other markets and demand for it continues to grow. We think there’s huge potential in Brazil for our mozzarella to become a real selling point for pizzerias, given its extra stretch, the fact it tastes so good and is 100 per cent natural,” said Watson.

Fonterra recently announced it was building a new $240 million plant to help meet growing demand – said to be the single largest foodservice investment in New Zealand’s dairy industry history. It will allow Fonterra to double the co-operative’s capacity to produce its mozzarella, which is made from milk in one day instead of the usual two to three months taken by conventional mozzarella processes. It will come on stream in September 2018.

once complete, it will make Fonterra’s Clandeboye site the largest producer of natural mozzarella in the Southern Hemisphere, according to the company.

The IQF mozzarella is the result of patented technology developed by the Fonterra Research and Development Centre, and supported by Transforming the Dairy Value Chain – a Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) programme between the Ministry of Primary Industries, Fonterra and DairyNZ.