Page 41 - Food&Drink September 2019

✷ SNAPSHOT
NORTH AND SOUTH SUCCESS STORIES
INDUSTRY UPDATE
The AFGC looked at two regions in Victoria, the south-east of Melbourne and northern Victoria.
RESPONSIBILITY AND COMMUNITY
In the south-east Melbourne region, food and grocery manufacturing businesses:
• employ 16,190 workers;
• pump $1.29 billion of wages and salaries into the area; and
• contribute $11.1 billion in annual output.
Yoghurt manufacturer Chobani employs 200 people at its Dandenong factory. Managing director Peter Meek said that in 2018, the factory produced more than 85 million pots of yoghurt.
“We believe every food maker has a responsibility to provide people with better options, which is why we’re so proud of the way
our food is made.
“Behind the scenes, it is the
people and the passion that inspires the team at Chobani to continue to think big, push the boundaries and innovate.”
For hiring, Chobani works with local agencies: Monash Health; Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre (SMRC); Asylum Seeker & Refugee Centre (ASRC); Local Skills & Jobs Centres for Chisholm and Holmesglen Tafes; and local “job actives” networks.
CHANGING PERCEPTIONS, BUILDING CAREERS Smallgoods producer DON KR Castlemaine employs 1500, with 1100 frontline factory roles producing more than 70 million kilograms of product a year.
Managing director Will Ursell said the company wants to
LEFT TO RIGHT: AFCG CEO Tanya Barden, Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters and DON KR Castlemaine MD Will Ursell.
change the perception around factory jobs and encourage people to consider long-term careers in the industry.
The 250 people the company employs each year undergo extensive training. Ursell says DON sees this as an investment
in its employees’ careers and in its business. Every year, 300 staff are trained to the nationally recognised accreditation of Certificate III or Certificate IV.
DON contributes more than $300 million into the Victorian economy each year.
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