Beirut, July 4th 2011 - Biomass Organic Products has launched the first organic dairy products factory in Lebanon, to produce a variety of local and EU-certified organic dairy products that will be offered to consumers across Lebanon starting July 2011.

The factory, located in Qab Elias in Lebanon's Bekaa area and launched under the patronage of the Lebanese Agriculture Minister Dr. Hussein El Hajj Hassan, is the first in the Middle East to produce a wide variety of EU-certified organic dairy products including yoghurt, strained yoghurt (Labneh) and cheeses (Goat Cheese, Baladi, Halloumi, Akkawi, Double Crème and others). Today the entirety of Biomass organic products (dairy and non-dairy) is certified by the Italian Certification Body (IMC) and conforming to the European Regulation for Organic Farming.

"The project idea was conceived two years ago to meet the growing demand of safer and more controlled dairy products in Lebanon", says Joseph Massoud, Founder and President of Biomass.  "We are in the organic food and beverages business since 2008, but our challenge with the organic dairy products was to create a full economic cycle between the Lebanese agricultural and industrial sectors, in order to bring to the Lebanese consumer locally-produced organic dairy products".

The event also included a note by the Minister of Agriculture Dr. El Hajj Hassan who said "we support organic agriculture which is part of the Lebanese market that we need to work on improving and developing".

The Qab-Elias organic dairy production facility will process only fresh milk, free from antibiotics and chemical residues and obtained only from organic-certified farms. The water used in the production is treated and continuously tested in an on-site laboratory to ensure purity. Moreover the entire production process and final products are overseen and lab-tested by a quality team. Biomass has worked closely with several Lebanese governmental bodies, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, IRI and Libnor as well as foreign institutions to ensure its organic dairy products are conform to Lebanese and EU food regulations and requirements.

The new organic dairy product line comes as the latest addition to a wide variety of Biomass organic fruits, vegetables, eggs, herbs and fruit-based beverages, already available and increasingly popular in Lebanon. The Biomass organic dairy products will be sold in leading retails chains across Lebanon, organic food shops, specialized grocery and deli shops, as well as Souks.

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About Biomass
Biomass is a leading grower and provider of organically certified products in Lebanon. The family business started by Mr. Joseph Massoud in a farm located in Jrebta (Batroun) in 2007, and has grown over the past four years by continuously introducing new kinds of organic fruits, vegetables, eggs, plants and plant-based beverages and extracts, seeds and seedlings and, as of July 2011, dairy products. All Biomass products are certified according to the European Regulation for Organic Farming by the Italian Certification Body (IMC).

About Organic food
Organic food is produced without any use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics. Organic products are free of GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) and chemical additives. They have shown to have a higher level of nutritive elements, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, are richer in essential fatty acids and have a substantially lower level of pesticides and chemical residues.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Mario Massoud, Biomass, +961-1-446 556, mario.massoud@biomasslb.com
Farah Bachacha, Weber Shandwick for Biomass, +961-1-428428, farah.bachacha@ws-mena.com

© Press Release 2011