WA food and beverage businesses get fresh funding

The WA Government has announced $7.08 million in Value Add Investment Grants to support local food and beverage businesses in expanding operations, introducing new product lines.

Eight Western Australian businesses have benefited from the latest round of funding, which will support expansion, new product lines and more staff.

The Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community, south of Broome, will use its $1 million grant to install four blast cool rooms to extend the shelf life and freshness of its watermelons, paving the way to increase production by 400%. The investment will also help the business move into rockmelon production, creating 15 new jobs.

The Ord River District Co-operative (ORDCO), near Kununurra, will use a $750,000 grant to upgrade its stockfeed plant to grow the business, as the Kimberley Cotton Company's gin comes online this year. The project will help ORDCO to expand its offerings of blended grain rations and increase the plant’s production to 25,000 tonnes per year. This will build resilience in the northern cattle industry, as well as create opportunities for local businesses during the construction phase.

AAA Egg Company, west of Gingin, will invest its $1 million grant in new machinery to diversify into value-added products, including egg whites and yolks, as well as scrambled and hard-boiled eggs for the food service, catering and manufacturing industry.

These grants have spearheaded projects that might not otherwise have been possible, leveraging a further $262 million in private sector investment and generating an estimated 191 new jobs across the state.

“I am so proud of the Value Add Investment Grants program and the opportunities it is creating to help grow WA's agrifood and beverage manufacturing industry,” said Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis. “This program is kick-starting projects and leveraging substantial co-investment in initiatives that drive expansion, diversification and resilience for a range of businesses throughout the state, as well as creating a number of new local jobs and driving economic growth.”

Other Value Add Investment Grant recipients include:

• Mt Barker Chicken: $ 1million to upgrade its processing facility to increase capacity
• Kojonup Feeds: $750,ooo to expand and upgrade a stockfeed mill
• Forest Hill Wines: $580,000 for bottling line upgrades
• Foodfolk Australia: $ 1 million to relocate and upgrade a ready-made food facility
• D’Orsogna: $1 million to upgrade and expand processing and packaging facilities for meat products.
   

For more information on Value Add Investment Grants and a full list of recipients, click here.

Image credit: iStock.com/Alfio Manciagli