Page 23 - Food & Drink magazine June 2021

the manifestation of the company’s goal to become a regional powerhouse of consumer food brands.
“Our strategy for growth focuses on two separate approaches – acquisitions and innovation.
“With all three companies – Freedom Foods, 180degrees, Diver Foods – we were looking for businesses with strong foundations, strong values, delicious products and of course potential for growth in existing and new categories as well,” Lowden says.
“It’s been a significant undertaking, and an unbelievable effort from the team. In the past six weeks, Good Food Partners has grown from one premises in Victoria, to now managing a total of four sites, including three Freedom Foods facilities.
“Good Food Partners is one of the largest producers of branded and private label muesli and snack bars in Australia, with a large client base of contract manufacturing, including for some of Australia’s leading brands,” Diver explains.
“ We’ve had to adapt to find effective and relevant ways to communicate our Arnott’s masterbrand to consumers, reigniting our loyal consumers, while bringing new generations into our portfolio.”
The Freedom Foods deal includes three manufacturing facilities in Leeton and Darling Point New South Wales, and Dandenong in Victoria.
Diver Foods makes branded (for example, Sam’s Pantry) and private label muesli and cereals, porridge oats, nut, cereal, protein, and muesli bars.
Its Melbourne factory is 16,000 square metres.
THE CREATION OF GOOD FOOD PARTNERS
The upshot of the acquisitions and growth has been the creation of a new business division called Good Food Partners. Diver Foods owner and managing director Chris Diver is the operations manager for the unit.
Lowden says Good Food Partners unlocks a strong growth engine for Arnott’s.
“It presents a rare opportunity for a legacy business like Arnott’s to enter the snacking whitespace and unlock the innovation and capabilities that have been at the core of Diver Foods for the past eighteen years,” he says.
Good Food Partners managing director, Chris Diver, says the division was created to complement and diversify Arnott’sexistingportfolio.
The current focus is on combining the companies’ processes and production and identifying opportunities to streamline where possible.
Its products continue to be available in supermarkets nationwide, including white- labelled muesli and cereals such as Sam’s Pantry (exclusive for Woolworths), Messy Monkeys and Freedom Foods.
Diver says the focus is on high quality products with local ingredients and sustainable supply chains.
Utilising its new capabilities, its short to medium focus is on expansion within existing and into new categories.
“Good Food Partners has the potential to become a high growth vehicle, for the Group, delivering extraordinary value and driving it to become a cross category leader in cereal and snacking,” Diver says.
William Arnott opened his first biscuit factory in 1865. Today, the Arnott’s brand and many of its biscuits are Australian icons. In the first four months of COVID-19 lockdown last year, Australians ate 270 million Tim Tams. With its recent acquisitions and the launch of Good Food Partners more national favourites are suretocome. ✷
ABOVE & TOP LEFT: The Arnott’s Group’s Good Food Partners is one of Australia’s largest producers of muesli and snack bars.
TOP: Sam’s Pantry muesli bars, formerly produced by Diver Foods are now part of Good Food Partners.
FAR LEFT: Sam’s Pantry muesli varieties.
BAKERY BUSINESS
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