MORE milk, yoghurt and cheese will be produced on the Atherton Tablelands with the opening of Mungalli Creek Dairy's new processing plant.
The $3 million facility, near Milla Milla, will allow the company to increase supply of their popular dairy products.
The company has also spent $2.7 million to purchase additional farmland in the region that the plan to biodynamics to increase their milk supply.
Mungalli Creek Dairy is Queensland's only paddock-to-plate biodynamic dairy, using an enhanced form of organic and regenerative farming that requires no fertilisers, pesticides or antibiotics to maintain the quality of their land.
The dairy farm was established in 2000 and is the largest employer in Millaa Millaa, with more than 60 staff helping to process almost four million litres of milk a year.
Mungalli Creek Dairy CEO Robert Watson said the new facility's modern and efficient equipment will increase productivity and allow the business to grow market share and become export compliant.
"I hope the expansion and modernisation of our processing facility gives confidence to other businesses in the region and will encourage them to innovate and respond to opportunities in increasingly diverse consumer tastes," Mr Watson said.
Cairns MP Michael Healy said the new processing plant would create about 24 new jobs, cementing Mungalli Creek Dairy's position as the largest employer in the rural community.
"This new $3 million facility will allow the business to produce and process more milk, yoghurt and cheese, meaning more jobs for the tropical north," Mr Healy said.
"Our region has some of the best farming land in the country, and the Mungalli Creek team are maximising those nutrients to make amazing products for the public."
State Development and Manufacturing Minister Cameron Dick said the new jobs would be across the business, including farming, processing, maintenance, management, accounting and sales.
"Projects like Mungalli Creek Dairy's new processing plant unlock valuable opportunities in our regions, creating stronger and more diversified local economies, which in turn delivers more jobs to regional Queensland."
The processing facility was supported by the state government's $175 million Jobs and Regional Growth Fund.
