The Arnott’s Group says its latest multi-million-dollar manufacturing facility will fuel the company’s growth ambitions in the better-for-you market segment.
The Rowville, Victoria factory, a green site build of 45,000 square metres, will house Good Food Partners, Arnotts’ better-for-you and snack foods business. It’s one of Australia’s largest producers of branded and private label cereals, muesli, nutritional snacks, and bars. Brands include Freedom Cereals, Messy Monkeys, Sunsol, Heritage Mill, Arnold’s Farm, Arnott’s Treatles, and Sam’s Pantry.
Good Food Partners MD, Chris Diver, said the Rowville site would provide “a huge amount of capability and capacity and flexibility to grow the business”.
It features three main manufacturing areas, including a dedicated allergen-free and extruded products zone, an R&D culinary centre, and two logistics warehouses.
“Most people will tell you it’s a five-year journey to build a site like this. We effectively did it in less than two,” Diver said.
Annually, the site will produce 180 million muesli and protein bars, 40 million oat sachets and 300 million bowls of muesli.
Arnott’s Group CEO, George Zoghbi, said the business was proud to be back in Melbourne, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to local manufacturing and product innovation.
“Our new Rowville facility ensures we continue to drive product innovation and remain ready to cater to consumer trends as they emerge.
“We know that Australian consumers are increasingly seeking nutritious snacking options that deliver on both taste and quality. Rowville gives us unparallelled manufacturing capabilities to grow our better-for-you portfolio and offer consumers greater choice across supermarket aisles,” Zoghbi said.
Arnotts’ expansion into cereals and bars began when it acquired the Freedom Foods brand from the eponymous company, now known as Noumi, in 2020, and Diver Foods in 2021.
In November last year, The Arnott’s Group acquired Mother Earth, Flemings and VP from New Zealand based food manufacturer, Prolife Foods Ltd, in a bid to expand its branded better-for-you portfolio, unlock new manufacturing capabilities and enter new category segments.
