Page 14 - Food&Drink magazine Feb-Mar 2023

REGIONAL FOCUS
RIGHT: Making Mars bars is now a highly technical process. BELOW: Skittles on the line.
BOTTOM: (L-R) Andrew Leakey, MD of Mars Wrigley and Rob Giles, CEO of SPC
that if you wanted a career outside the traditional agricultural sphere, you either joined a government department or a bank, because you knew you would ultimately be transferred somewhere else.
“There was very little opportunity to live in the region and develop a career without having to go somewhere else.
“As we’ve grown the company, it is lovely to see young people joining, some straight out of high school, after their degree or other study. They join us and enjoy the opportunity to pursue a career, whether it is administrative, in automation or robotics, engineering or sales, in their home region. Or indeed, they’ve moved to a region to pursue that.
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to move away, but it is also nice for there to be options for those who are ambitious but
would prefer to pursue their career closer to home. That’s the value of a scaled business in the country,” Irvin says.
Leakey says regional employment shouldn’t all be left to governments to solve.
“If you run a business and you’re heavily involved in your local community, then you need to be proactive and face into that as much as you look to the government,” he says.
“We don’t just need fruit pickers in regional parts of the country. We need technologists, we need people across the science tech type environment and engineering. The days of it appearing easy to make a Mars Bar are gone, I can assure you it is a highly technical process.
“I’m an engineer by background and when I go into the factory now, I’m blown away by the level of technology an operator on the line has to
interact with every day.” Mars Wrigley associates
(Mars calls employees ‘associates’) are heavily involved in courses being run by Federation University and the local TAFEs. It has restarted its graduate program and is looking at skilled migration to fill roles quickly.
Leakey questions how a traditional apprenticeship model could be revived and attract people to regional areas to complete them.
“There has to be a hook for employers to take someone on, invest in this person, and accept they may not stay at the end. It was quite traditional for engineering fields but hasn’t been fully explored with STEM industries,” Leakey says.
Giles says SPC has forged close ties with GOTAFE, the largest vocational education provider in regional Victoria, and universities.
ALL IN THE LOCATION
Irvin says, “If we think about manufacturing in the regions, you build the infrastructure near the resource.
“I don’t feel there’s that many limitations for companies, but there is no question on the fact, appropriate infrastructure that makes it make sense is the key. For us that meant if we are making cheese, we need to be near the cows.”
Irvin adds it is then about taking one step further than the core commodity.
“It’s thinking about developing the infrastructure that would allow the value add to occur regionally and then thinking about how that
product can be efficiently transported to its end consumer wherever they might be,” he says
Giles says SPC has a “symbiotic relationship” with growers, and that some producers grow solely for SPC.
“Being located close to farmers is also a major factor for the company. We have worked hard to restore the relationship with farmers since SPC returned to private ownership. We have worked to rebuild trust,” he says.
The proximity also means when there is a crisis for farmers – there were three major weather events last year – SPC can support them with its voice to the government.
But there is also its presence in the community.
“Supporting the community is one of our core values, which reflects how iconic the company is in the region.
“It doesn’t matter who I speak to, they all have an SPC story. It is amazing how many people I come across who have an SPC connection,” Giles says.
Leakey echoes this sentiment.
“McCains is the other big manufacturer in Ballarat and the two of us are heavily involved in the community, whether it’s footy clubs or the City of Ballarat. We have a real focus on where our associates live and work, and what is needed to make it an attractive and viable place to live.”
Regional food and beverage manufacturing is in the spotlight. There are grants for assistance and existing companies willing the share their knowledge. It might be time to head east, west, north, or south. ✷
“ We don’t just need fruit pickers in regional parts of the country. We need technologists, we need people across the science tech type environment and engineering.”
14 | Food&Drink business | February/March 2023 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au