Baladna, one of the leading dairy and beverage producers in Qatar, announces that it has, in partnership with packaging solutions provider SIG, added white cheese to its growing product portfolio. The new offering is the first locally produced white cheese in Qatar packaged in aseptic carton packs.

With this innovative product launch, Baladna and SIG are expanding their partnership. Baladna has opted for filling technology from SIG and has installed an additional CFA 312 filling machine to fill products in SIG’s combiblocSlimline carton packs. This filling machine can fill a total of four different volume sizes, and Baladna benefits from its flexibility to also fill juice and dairy products in 1,000 ml carton packs, in addition to the white cheese in 500 ml carton packs.

A specialty of the process is that soft and spreadable cheese is initially filled into the carton pack as a liquid, which then coagulates inside the carton pack after all the other ingredients have been added. The necessary enzymes are mixed into the liquid cheese in a mobile mixing and dosing unit shortly before the filling process. From this unit the cheese is filled into the carton packs on SIG filling machines. The white cheese, mild in taste and flavor, gains its characteristic firm consistency only after this coagulation process has taken place.

The mobile unit at Baladna is compatible with SIG’s CFA 312 filling machine, and this unit is attached to the filling machine externally. The filling unit of the SIG filling machine is not involved in the cheese filling process and can also be used to aseptically fill other dairy products and juices. Existing installations can be retrofitted with this external equipment.

Abdelghany Eladib, president and general manager - Middle East and Africa, SIG, commented, “Locally produced white cheese in carton packs is a first for the Qatari market. Previously, white cheese was imported from neighboring countries and is mainly available here in plastic packaging. We are very proud to continue our partnership with Baladna with this exciting innovation.”

Malcolm Jordan, chief executive officer, Baladna, said, “Our investment in innovation and close partnership with SIG continues to deliver excellent value for our consumers. We’re proud to offer locally produced white cheese in carton packs to the Qatari market, locally filled for the first time. Offering white cheese in aseptic carton packs means differentiation and is another example of our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint, as carton packs are a more sustainable choice.”

Baladna Farms spreads over area of 2 million square meters, with a capacity to house 24,000 cows. Baladna now has over 250 SKUs across fresh milk, yoghurt, laban, long-life milk, cheese, labneh, fresh cream, desserts, ghee, and juices.