Page 5 - Food & Drink Magazine May 2021

New $18m
line for
Smith’s
A new $18 million baked chip line at Smith’s factory in Regency Park, South Australia is operating 24/7. It has also created 28 new full-time permanent positions.
Smiths brand owner PepsiCo ANZ CEO Danny Celoni said the investment showed the company’s commitment to supporting local manufacturing, employment and produce while fostering further innovation and growth in the FMCG sector.
The line is
Australia’s only
high-capacity
baked potato line,
which will
produce a wide
range of new
better-for-you
snacking
innovations,
including Smith’s
Oven Baked
potato chips and
Red Rock Deli premium crackers.
The line was installed during COVID-19 lockdown last year, with the support of the South Australian Government. It allowed special dispensation to interstate specialist workers to enter the state, meaning the project could be delivered on time.
NEWS
Australian Plant Proteins secures $45.7m
AUSTRALIA’S only commercial plant protein fraction plant, Australian Plant Proteins (APP), has secured $45.7 million from global agrifood company Bunge. The investment allows APP to double its output of plant protein isolates by March 2022.
APP launched its first plant last
year, in a major value-added step
for Australia’s legume and pulse
supply chain. The company has
also used its unique fractionation
process to develop protein isolates from yellow peas, mung beans, chickpeas, red lentils and yellow lentils, all of which are ready for commercial launch.
The agreement gives Bunge a minority stake in the company, exclusive distribution rights in the Americas, and the option to licence APP proprietary processing technology outside Australia. APP has an existing domestic partnership with Scalzo Foods.
APP co-founder and director Brendan McKeegan said securing investment and distribution with Bunge is testament to the value and growing demand for quality, plant- based protein options.
“The investment and interest also create strong precedent for further development of similar value-add industries in the Australian agricultural sector,” McKeegan said.
Bunge and APP will partner to meet the increased demand for highly functional,
non-genetically modified plant proteins from manufacturers of plant-based meat, dairy, other food and beverage, and nutritional supplements.
Bunge’s VP Kaleb Belzer said the partnership would build a competitive advantage. “By combining APP’s proprietary extraction technology with our application expertise and global sales and distribution networks, we provide a significant competitive advantage in making quality plant protein accessible to customers around the world,” he said.
McKeegan said: “We’re enabling food and beverage manufacturers to tap into the demand for new protein types, make protein claims, deliver exceptional texture and mouthfeel, and align with consumers seeking non-GMO and clean label offerings.”
APP was founded in 2016 by Melbourne-based agricultural investment management company EAT Group. In 2019, food ingredient distributor Scalzo Foods invested in the company.
www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au | May 2021 | Food&Drink business | 5