Page 58 - Food & Drink Business Nov-Dec 2019

YEAR IN REVIEW
2019headline makers
✷ JAN/FEB ON THE COVER:
TETRA PAK
WINE MAKERS INK RENEWABLES CONTRACTS Wine makers Pernod Ricard and Australian Vintage both made major commitments to renewable energy.
Pernod Ricard Winemakers, owner of several brands including
Jacob’s Creek, announced it would be sourcing 100 per
cent of its energy from renewable sources from all
of its Australian sites by mid-next year thanks to a
new 10-year virtual generation agreement (VGA)
with wholesale electricity retailer Flow Power.
Australian Vintage, owner of McGuigan Wines, Tempus Two
and Passion Pop, will also source energy from both solar and wind farms through a power purchase agreement with Flow Power.
STATE OF THE
INDUSTRY REVEALED
The $131 billion food and beverage, grocery and fresh produce sector accounted for nearly 40 per cent of Australian manufacturing jobs, but battled challenging conditions through 2016-17, according to the Australian Food and
Food & Drink Business wraps up the news year with an overview of some of the top businesses and stories of 2019.
Grocery Council’s State of the Industry report.
“There is no doubt Australia’s largest manufacturing sector is facing a tough
environment where
input costs are rising on everything from
commodities,
particularly caused by
the drought, to labour to energy, and six years of
retail price deflation continues to cut margins, placing the sector under increasing pressure,” AFGC CEO Tanya Barden said.
SUPPLIERS HELP FEED AUSSIES IN NEED
Manildra Group and MSM Milling helped Foodbank to provide 51 million meals to Australians in need through their flour, sugar and oil donations despite some of the toughest drought conditions on record.
The hunger relief organisation said that since 2004, Manildra Group has provided flour to manufacture pasta with Rinoldi as part of the country’s first program of its kind.
In 2017, the Manildra Group collectively donated 22,400 meals to Foodbank from product donations across its range, and more than 5 million serves from its involvement in the two collaborative supply programs, providing a significant social return on investment of more than $8.2 million last year alone.
MG’S FORMER MD FINED OVER MILK PRICES
Former Murray Goulburn (MG) managing director Gary Helou had to pay $200,000 in penalties for being knowingly concerned in Murray Goulburn’s false or misleading claims about the farmgate milk price it expected to pay dairy farmers during the
2015-16 milk season. He was also asked to
leave the industry for three years.
MG admitted to making false or misleading representations in breach of the Australian
Consumer Law when it
represented to farmers in Victoria, SA, and southern NSW on 29 February 2016, and subsequently until 27 April 2016, that it could maintain its opening milk price of $5.60/ kgms.
VESCO SIGNS ON TO MAKE AND MARKET LEAN CUISINE Vesco Foods signed a
ten-year licence
agreement with Nestlé to manufacture and market the Lean Cuisine frozen ready meal brand in Australia and New Zealand.
Vesco will manufacture the range at its Perth and Brisbane facilities.
“Vesco Foods is a
focused ready meals manufacturer, with a strong track record of innovation in the category,” company CEO Bernie Pummell said.
COCA-COLA AMATIL CONFIRMS SPC SALE PLAN Coca-Cola Amatil formally announced its intention to sell its loss-making canned fruit business SPC following a strategic review of the business.
The IXL and Taylor’s brands would also remain with SPC. Amatil managing director Alison Watkins told investors
the 2018 strategic review of SPC had concluded with a decision to proceed toward divestment.
SPC was expected to record a full year loss in 2018 of around $10 million, she said, resulting in an overall loss for the company’s Corporate, Food & Services segment.
“The review has concluded that the best way to unlock these opportunities is through divestment, enabling SPC to maximise its potential with the benefit of the recent $100 million co-investment while Amatil sharpens its focus as a beverages powerhouse.
SPC was later sold to Shepparton Partners Collective in June for $40 million.
WILEY EXPANDS IN NEW ZEALAND Australian design build firm
Wiley finalised the acquisition of Milmeq’s primary food processing design and
engineering consultancy team, in a move to further establish the company in New Zealand.
“We are excited to bring the Milmeq team and their
wealth of experience on board. The acquisition strengthens
our existing Wiley
New Zealand operations and our ability to service our clients globally,” Wiley’s Brandon Miller said.
Milmeq’s chilling and freezing capability was sold to NZ-listed Mercer Group.
TNA OPENS NEW
$8M FACILITY
Packaging solutions manufacturer tna unveiled a new Victorian factory to boost its manufacturing capacity and global reach.
The company cut the ribbon on its new 7500 square metre facility in Boronia, bringing the total number of tna manufacturing facilities around the world to six.
Built for almost $8 million,
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2019
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