The Australian food and beverage industry is recognised worldwide for its healthy image, offering high quality products with innovative manufacturing and packaging technologies.
Austrade’s chief economist, Tim Harcourt, has said that the number one driver of the worldwide food industry is the desire by consumers for fresher, healthier and more nutritious foods, such as organic, chemical-free and additive-free products.
“Australia’s reputation as a clean, green, healthy and disease-free environment, has also given exporters a competitive edge over othercountries,” according to Harcourt.
“Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry show that Australian food exports grew from $17.4 billion in 1998-1999 to almost $24 billion in 2005-2006, declining to $23.3 billion for 2006-2007, largely because of the drought.
“While the world food industry is affected by fluctuating economies and environmental challenges, innovative Australian food exporters are turning barriers into opportunities.
“This has seen Australian exporters tap into many international markets and turn small businesses from humble beginnings into global export success stories,” said Harcourt. With a network of more than 115 overseas locations in over 60 countries, Austrade provides a number of dedicated and tailored services to Australian exporters.
This includes practical advice, market intelligence and ongoing support (including financial) to Australian businesses looking to develop international markets. Austrade also provides advice and guidance on overseas investments and joint-venture opportunities and helps put Australian businesses in contact with potential overseas investors.
Bringing home the baking
Austrade’s US based food and beverage team leader, Mark Berwick, has said that Australian baked goods are quite popular in the US and there are significant opportunities in two main categories.
“The first (opportunity) being baked goods that are healthier and less processed when compared to their counterparts in the US, such as Mountain Bread, which offer an alternative range for the health-conscious consumer,” explained Berwick.
Victorian based, Mountain Bread, which commenced exporting its range of flat bread varieties to the US in 1999, now exports its products to other international markets, including the UK, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji, Dubai and across Asia.
“The other category is specialty baked goods which offer the discerning consumer a unique and high-quality product. The Old Colonial Cookie Company’s shortbread and the range of waferthins crackers produced by Valley Produce Company and Waterwheel are successful examples,” Berwick said.
Gran’s Fudge, which began over thirty years ago as a small family business, is a prime exporting example.
Located in the heart of the Shoalhaven dairy region south of Sydney, it is exporting its range of over 25 flavours of fudge internationally, which includes the UK, Japan, Singapore, Canada and South Africa.
Berwick notes that the underlying key to success is to research the marketplace and the culture of the country, and to learn the language of trade, freight, quarantine and food labelling requirements.
Sarkis Khoury is the senior media advisor, corporate marketing and communications, for Austrade.