Turbine is set to become Australia’s leading industry-based food and beverage research, education and commercialisation facility with the precinct expected to gain national and international recognition as a blueprint for collaborative manufacturing thanks to funding of up to $33.4 million from the Federal Government.
After securing a Federal Government Grant of $8.78 million in 2021, today’s announcement will ensure the development of the food and beverage manufacturing precinct, at the Sunshine Coast Airport, will have a catalytic and enduring impact on the food and beverage sector on a scale that has not previously existed in Australia.
The Turbine Collaborative Food & Beverage Manufacturing Precinct will enable SME food and beverage manufacturers to innovate and scale-up, up and will present exciting opportunities for producers and the entire value chain.
“A critical element of success for the Precinct will be the collaboration between project partners who are made up of small, medium and large businesses, research organisations, industry groups, training institutions and investors,” said chair of Turbine, Shay Chalmers
“The project is built around collaboration and will demonstrate what’s possible when you build a culture of where businesses and organisations share a vision and find ways to work together.
“The advanced manufacturing capability combined with the support of education partners will develop the pipeline of skills within the precinct to set the industry up for future success,” said Chalmers.
CEO of the Food and Agribusiness Network, Emma Greenhatch, knows only too well the challenges FAN members face when trying to scale and access new markets.
“With such high barriers to growth in our industry, collaboration is key to ensure we have a resilient and competitive food and beverage manufacturing sector into the future,” said Greenhatch.
“Uniquely, the Turbine Precinct will house end-to-end infrastructure and support, that will allow start-ups and SMEs to take a great idea through to commercialisation and export – all in the one location.
“Every grower and food and beverage manufacturer from across the Sunshine Coast region and beyond can benefit from this project, from the R&D and education and training facilities to the contract manufacturing, expertise and advanced manufacturing knowledge hub, and hospitality showcase.”
A key supporter and advocate of this project is Federal Member for Fairfax , Ted O’Brien who was instrumental in helping secure both funding rounds.
“This massive investment will transform the local food and beverage sector and will create a stronger future for the Sunshine Coast – built on a stronger economy,” said O’Brien.
“This end-to-end collaborative food and beverage precinct is a world-first, and it will provide lucrative opportunities for businesses at all stages and all sizes to build, scale and export, all under one roof.
“But it’s not just business that will benefit. This project will create lifelong careers for local people. From food technologists to designers and engineers, the TURBINE Precinct will create hundreds of highly skilled careers for locals within an industry where the Sunshine Coast will be among the best in the world.”
The impact of this project will be significant with 131 jobs being created during the construction phase and once operational, a further 687 predominately high-value manufacturing roles and retail trades will be created.
Once fully operational, wages generated within the precinct are expected to be anywhere from 12 per cent to 60 per cent higher than industry average wages.
Over the long term, the Precinct is expected to boost most industries but the highest uplift in industry value-add will be Manufacturing with approximately $300 million in revenue expected to be generated by Turbine’s Project Partners.
With around half of all products produced within the Precinct likely to be exported, the Precinct’s export accreditation and location at the Sunshine Coast Airport will provide seamless access to global markets. The Turbine Precinct is due to commence operations in late 2023.