George Weston Foods (GWF) is investing A$132.9 million in a new flour mill and other facilities across regional Victoria.
New investments across regional Victoria
GWF is a wholly owned subsidiary of London-headquartered Associated British Foods plc. It is building a new flour mill for its Mauri bakery ingredient business in Ballarat. The investment will create 320 jobs during construction.
The company is also making new investments across regional Victoria. They include:
- a new national Tip Top boutique bakery in Bendigo
- relocating its Golden Crumpet manufacturing line from Adelaide to Dandenong
- upgrading its DON business in Castlemaine to grow exports
- expanding its Yumi's plant in Hallam to increase production.
The investments will create 174 new jobs and support more than 1,300 Victorian businesses and farmers who supply and work with GWF.
GFW is one of Australia and New Zealand's leading food manufacturers. The company employs 6,000 people across 40 sites. Its brands include Tip Top, Abbotts Village Bakery, Burgen, DON, KR Castlemaine and Yumi's.
'We are excited to be investing in the future of sustainable agriculture and food production in Victoria,' says Stuart Grainger, George Weston Foods' Chief Executive.
'This new flour mill, together with other investments, enables us to continue to grow our Tip Top, Abbotts, Don and Yumi's brands whilst also being better able to serve the needs of our Mauri customers.'
A top destination for food and beverage manufacturing
Australia's food and manufacturing sector is the largest manufacturing sector for the Australian economy (Source: Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) 2019, State of the Industry Report 2019). Australia's proximity to Asian markets and network of free trade agreements provides international companies with an entry point to the region.
GWF joins other multinational food and beverage companies investing in manufacturing facilities in Australia. They include:
- Japanese giant Frucor Suntory is building a A$400 million beverage manufacturing facility in Queensland
- Danish company Naturli' Foods is building a manufacturing facility in New South Wales to tap into Australia's A$185 million plant-based meat market
- US food manufacturer McCormick is investing in a new head office and food innovation centre in Victoria
- US company Mars Wrigley is investing A$30 million to expand its chocolate factory in Victoria.
Victoria has the largest and most established food and beverage manufacturing sector in Australia. The sector is valued at around A$38 billion and employs around 72,000 people.
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