- Local businesses to
share in $470,700 in business development vouchers
- Cook Government
investing in the future success of WA's agrifood and beverage sector
The Cook Government
is helping Western Australia's agrifood and beverage sector to flourish through
a fresh round of funding.
More than $470,700
in Agrifood and Beverage Vouchers have now been awarded to 69 applicants from
the Mid West, Great Southern, South West, Peel, Wheatbelt, Gascoyne, Pilbara
and Perth metropolitan area to grow their operations.
The vouchers will
also attract more than $741,600 in co-investment from the successful recipients
to the benefit of the WA economy.
Innovative
manufacturer Edible Cutlery, which creates food utensils out of wheat, corn and
rice at its Osborne Park premises, will use its voucher for market analysis and
audience profiling to increase sales and upscale production.
Denmark-based
family business Stash Coffee will explore sustainable packaging options and
upgrade its website, as part of its plan to double the output of its locally
roasted product.
The vouchers will
elevate a range of other WA value-adding businesses, spanning confectionary,
dairy, specialty food, meat, pasta, seafood, baked products, coffee, tea,
honey, oat products, meals, herbs and spices, beer, wine, spirits and other
beverages.
Since the voucher
program began in 2018, more than $1.39 million has been distributed via 286
vouchers to small and medium sized food and beverage businesses, attracting almost
$2 million in matching funding.
The program
continues to assist with access to professional advice across business
planning, manufacturing growth, sales and marketing, financial health and
environmental sustainability and social responsibility to achieve business
success.
A full list of
recipients can be viewed at http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/AFBvoucherprogram
Comments
attributed to Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis:
"This voucher
program has successfully helped hundreds of WA agrifood and beverage businesses
to diversify and grow over the past six years.
"Our vision is for a strong economy for all
Western Australians and this Cook Government investment will mean more local processing
and manufacturing as well as more local jobs.
"We also want to help build a more
sustainable future and it's fantastic to see this voucher program supporting
eco-friendly operations like Edible Cutlery and Stash Coffee."
Comments
attributed to Regional Development Minister Don Punch:
"Interest in this
valuable initiative continues to grow year-by-year, supporting innovative
newcomers, as well as established operators, like those in our valuable wine
industry, to achieve their business goals.
"This
transformational program is helping drive growth and employment throughout the
State, supporting regional communities and economies."
