Belgian coffee specialist and packaging company Miko (Oud-Turnhout; www.mikocoffee.com) has formed a 50:50 joint venture with Indonesian plastics processing company Innoware (Jakarta; www.innowareindonesia.co.id). Innoware, which employs 277 people and has a turnover of EUR 4.5m, makes plastic tubs for the food industry (mainly ice cream), and plastic promotional products such as soap containers or mugs.

The two partners intend to jointly establish a green field site to expand plastic packaging capacity. Jan Michielsen, joint managing director of Miko, said: “We are also interested in the fact that the focus in the Indonesian plastic packing market is still currently on small individual portion packaging, mainly involving plastic foil.” He added that a growing economy and middle-class will increase demand for family size packaging in the future. “This is precisely the type of packaging that we specialise in, which includes ice cream, margarine and other similar tubs.”

Frans Van Tilborg, CEO and managing director of the Miko Group, said it was time for the company's division "Miko Pac" to target the Asian market. “We believe that Indonesia offers considerable long-term potential because of its large population numbering more than 250 million and a rapidly growing middle class. Indonesia can also provide access to the vast population of the entire Asian continent, thanks to its central location,” Van Tilborg said. He added that the deal with Innoware has been inspired by the gradual shift among multinational food groups from regional to global suppliers during the last 10 years, prompting Miko to follow its customers to Asia.