Nineteen Western Australian agrifood and beverage businesses will share in $1.05 million worth of grants to build more sustainable enterprises that capture high growth, premium export markets.
Under Round Two of the WA government’s International Competitiveness Co-investment Fund, the grants will leverage more than double the state investment.
“The International Competitiveness Co-investment Fund grants provide the impetus for WA agrifood and beverage enterprises to invest in international markets for their products,” WA Agriculture and Food minister Alannah MacTiernan said.
One example is Brownes Dairy, which will use its $82,969 in funding to re-establish its products in Singapore following the effects of COVID-19.
This will assist Brownes Dairy in re-introducing its branded yoghurt to Singapore consumers via retail supermarkets and online platforms, using the base to launch its branded cheese product to gourmet outlets and extend its overseas footprint.
Meanwhile, Alba Edible Oils has been granted $85,000 to promote its range of locally sourced cooking oil products to premium food service, manufacturing and retail export markets. This will help transition the product from a commodity to the premium retail and food service market.
“These are innovative, sustainable products and business models being pursued by these local companies, which will capture the imagination and interest of international customers,” MacTiernan said.
“Our local agrifood and beverage industry has adjusted to the ‘new normal’ of doing business in a global pandemic and embraced new strategies and technologies to capture a share of high value, premium export markets.”
Another grant will go to Small Things Wine, which will use its $20,000 grant to capture Swedish markets for its premium, sustainable canned wine selection made from local grapes. This will aid wine grape production and supply arrangements with growers and scale up local manufacturing.
The grants will also assist recipients to adapt and recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their businesses, while also pivoting to the ever-changing demands of the global marketplace.
For a full list of recipients, click here.