Just over a year after shuttering the outdated Olympia dairy facility — a difficult closure resulting from obsolete infrastructure that saw 168 jobs lost — Dutch dairy producer Royal A-ware has engineered a major turnaround for the region.

Following the completion of a positive initial feasibility study, the company is officially advancing plans to redevelop the site into a modern, specialized cheese production facility.

The initiative marks a significant turning point for Pajottegem and local dairy farmers. When Royal A-ware acquired Olympia in 2022 and subsequently wound down operations, it left a profound void in the local agricultural ecosystem.

The new project leverages the site’s existing industrial destination and central location in Flemish Brabant to establish a sustainable, future-proof processing hub that reconnects regional milk production with advanced manufacturing.

Regional growth 

The move has implications for the business and region including:

• Strengthened Belgian footprint: ehile Royal A-ware has expanded aggressively across Europe through strategic mergers and acquisitions (including major expansions in the Netherlands and Spain), establishing a dedicated, modern cheese dairy in Belgium reinforces its long-term operational commitment to the local supply chain.
• Sustainable milk valorisation: the new facility will allow Royal A-ware to locally process milk supplied by regional dairy farmers in a highly efficient and sustainable manner, ensuring a tight, reliable loop between agricultural production and commercialisation.
• Job creation & community engagement: the project is projected to generate between 50 and 75 new employment opportunities. Emphasising corporate transparency, Royal A-ware and local municipal leadership — led by Mayor Kris Poelaert — are organising informational sessions for neighbouring residents ahead of submitting formal environmental permit applications.

Building resilience 

By replacing outdated, inefficient plants with highly specialised, modern processing facilities, dairy processors can future-proof its operations against tightening environmental standards and shifting market demands.

For the wider dairy sector, this project highlights how strategic reinvestment in regional sourcing hubs strengthens supply chain resilience and rebuilds crucial trust with agricultural producers and local communities alike.

Royal A-ware’s renewed investment in the Pajottegem site proves that targeted modernisation can transform past structural setbacks into competitive growth engines. As the project progresses toward permit filings ēxand community consultations, it sets a strong benchmark for sustainable regional development and localized dairy processing in Europe.