WALTANNA Farms in Hamilton has secured $2.4 million in federal funding from the latest round of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative for a new purpose-built automated food production facility, plus $50,000 from the Energy Efficient Communities Program.
The combined grants will fund a new 6500 square metre manufacturing plant with two new key capabilities for Australia’s first oat-flax syrup production, as well as provide investment into a specialised dehydration technology for nutraceutical and innovative food ingredients.
The project will create 133 new highly skilled jobs in Western Victoria on top of the 30-odd staff already employed at Waltanna, and 532 indirect roles within five years across areas of logistics, retail, agricultural production and farm management, general business and more.
Waltanna Farms is a local family owned and run enterprise, with a diverse line of agricultural ventures, including crop farming, fine wool, producing, processing, and packaging flaxseed oil, among various other pursuits from their certified organic paddocks.
Waltanna Farms, a market leader in grain-based value-added production and product development, has partnered with Melbourne based company, TUI Foods, to create Tuitanna - a project which will undertake a major food manufacturing capability investment at the company’s Hamilton site.
The TUI team, via its TUI Labs division, have employed a team of scientists and engineers that have been working together to undertake research and development (R&D) into world-first methodologies for energy efficient drying, whilst maintaining food quality and nutritional value.
The dehydration methods are cutting edge technologies, developed from a collaboration with AgriDry in Toowoomba.
The R&D has been completed and new low temperature methods will be deployed at this facility and brand customers have approved the trial samples.
The next capability is via investment into the Oat-Flax Syrup Plant. Waltanna worked with CSIRO and TUI to develop the novel plant-based milk ingredient.
Incumbent Wannon MP, Dan Tehan said Waltanna was a tremendous local success story and will use its $2.4 million grant to continue to grow its manufacturing capability here in Wannon.
“This is a big win for jobs not only in Southern Grampians but also throughout the entire Australian supply chain,” Mr Tehan said.
In announcing the energy efficiency funding, Mr Tehan said Waltanna received $25,000 to invest into a biofuel recovery project and TUI Foods received $25,000 for a heat recovery system for a grain drier, bringing the total investment into local manufacturing at Waltanna to $2.45 million.
TUI Foods and Tuitanna chief executive, Tony Cartwright, welcomed the investment and said, “we’re very grateful to the Federal Government for this Modern Manufacturing Initiative funding”.
“This funding enables us to highlight how small business can bring together a collaboration of Australian agriculture, food, manufacturing, and engineering industries to reverse the current model of importing billions of dollars of food ingredients,” he said.
“Rather, we can grow, and value-add to our own home grown produce at scale to supply domestic and global markets.”
Waltanna Farms and Tuitanna director, Mike Nagorcka, from Waltanna Farms, said, “we are now able to supply local Western District food products in much greater quantity to existing and global markets”.
“Through recent trade agreements with India and the UK, we now have greater opportunities created by Dan Tehan and his government,” he said.
“The flow on effect of all this increased exposure for local agricultural produce in the global market creates increased employment opportunities here at Waltanna Farms and the specialised contract services that we will require.”
Industry, Energy and Emissions Reduction minister, Angus Taylor, said that this funding was testament to the strength of the manufacturing sector in the state.
“Victoria has long been the centre of Australian manufacturing and remains a key source of revenue and jobs for the Victorian economy,” he said.
