Resulting from the merger of three Portuguese dairy cooperatives in 1996, Lactogal is one of the largest dairy groups on the Iberian peninsula. Through its various brands, of which Mimosa is the most widely known, the group holds a 60% share of the Portuguese market.

Lactogal employs 2,000 persons on four production sites. The ultramodern plant at Modivas, on the outskirts of Porto, was built in 2000 in order to extend Lactogal's activities to the Spanish market and to reinforce its quality image. The main activity on the plant is the production of UHT milk (1 million liters per day).

When the Modivas plant was under construction, Lactogal selected Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies Iberica (VWS Iberica) to carry out the construction of a process water production unit using reverse osmosis technology and of an industrial wastewater treatment plant.

In order to focus on its core business, Lactogal then decided to outsource:

• process water production
• industrial wastewater treatment
• industrial solid waste management
  

Lactogal chose Veolia Water Portugal, in association with its partners Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies, and Veolia Environmental Services, to provide as part of a multi-utilities operation contract, the following services:

• process water production by reverse osmosis (1 200 m³/d)
• cooling tower make-up water production
• wastewater treatment (capacity 50,000 PE)
• sludge disposal for agricultural recovery
• collection, conditioning and discharge of 60 t/month of industrial solid waste generated by the plant