Keventer in JV with France’s Carso for food testing lab
03 Feb 2011
The Kolkata-based Keventer Group has signed a joint venture agreement with French analytical service major Groupe Carso for setting up an advanced food tasting laboratory at Barasat in North 24 Parganas in the northern outskirts of the city.
Keventer Agro managing director Mayank Jalan told reporters that the laboratory will offer an integrated food testing facility. "This is the first of its kind in the country. Carso is coming to India through this joint venture with us," he said.
Work on the project has already begun at the seven-acre site and the facility would be ready by April, he added.
Jalan said the French firm will form a 50:50 joint venture with group company Edward Keventer Life Science. It will invest Rs25 crore for the facility. "The laboratory will come up in Barasat and have modern instruments to comply with global standards," he said.
According to him, it will cater to the testing needs of sectors like food, water, meat, fish, poultry, fruits, tea, vegetables, spices, snacks, condiments, confectioneries and other agro products.
Incidentally, Keventer has already set up an integrated cold chain at Barasat in North 24 Parganas. "We collect 100 tonnes of fresh fruits and vegetables daily via collection centres and supply to leading food chains like Reliance, Aditya Birla Group, Metro Cash & Carry and Future Group," he said.
Keventer is a major player in the east in food processing and manufactures fruit-based products for Parle and Apeejay. It also has a strong presence in dairy (milk and ice cream) through Metro Dairy, a joint venture with the Bengal government.
The Keventer Group is investing close to Rs400 crore in projects in Gujarat, Karnataka and Bihar, and the laboratory is part of the investment plan.
Keventer is setting up a processing plant for mushrooms and sesame seeds at Sanand in Gujarat for Rs150 crore. It is also joining hands with Kishore Biyani's Future Group to build a Rs105-crore fruit pulping and value-added fruit products unit in Karnataka.