This is your final call for the 2026 Hive Awards, recognising innovation and excellence across the food and beverage manufacturing industry! We heard the buzz, busy bees, and extended the deadline for entries to the 2026 Hive Awards until TOMORROW: Thursday 19 March. You've got one day left – go, go, go!

Independent women-led brewery, Reckless Brewing, has completed a capital raise of more than $500 thousand through Birchal. Since releasing its first beer in late 2019, the company has opened a physical brewery in Bathurst, and is now ready to expand its national footprint.

The development of a mandatory Winegrape Purchases Code of Conduct is officially underway, following Dr Craig Emerson’s analysis of the Australian wine industry, released by Wine Australia last July. The code will commence on 1 January 2027.

Fonterra Co-operative Group has announced CEO, Miles Hurrell, will step down, ending a 25-year career with the New Zealand dairy co-operative, including eight years in the top job.

Independent beverage solutions provider, Refresco, has signed a 10-year prelease for the 25,500 square metre ground floor of Gateway Capital’s new multi-level industrial facility in Revesby, Sydney.

Queensland’s container refund scheme operator, Container Exchange (COEX), has announced an extension to payment terms for beverage manufacturers following industry consultation on the scheme’s pricing framework.

George Weston Foods has completed a $130 million redevelopment of its Tip Top Bakeries facility in Canning Vale, Western Australia. The upgrade follows a fire in October last year, which led to a temporary bread shortage across the state.

End Food Waste Australia CEO, Tristan Butt, has stepped down after less than a year in the role, to pursue other professional opportunities. The Board has appointed current director policy, communications & strategic engagement, Wendy Hughes, as acting CEO.

Plans for the Turbine food and beverage pilot precinct on the Sunshine Coast have collapsed after the project failed to secure sufficient commercial support to meet key funding milestones.

Tasmanian agribusiness TasFoods has entered voluntary administration after failing to secure a buyer for its Nichols Poultry business. Partners from KPMG Australia – Tim Mableson, David Hardy and Emily Seeckts – have been appointed as joint and several voluntary administrators to the group.

Entries for the 2026 Hive Awards are open, but the clock is ticking, with just 1 day left to get your entries in – the closing date is 13 March! There are nine awards up for grabs, with three new categories this year – Best New Food Product, Best New Beverage, and Best NPD. Go, go, go!

For food and beverage brands looking at growth beyond their home market, the Asia Pacific region remains one of the most compelling regions globally. But entering the region is only step one.

Four Pillars has relaunched its Four Pillars of the Community initiative, inviting local grassroots organisations to apply for a share of $25,000 in community grant funding.

Wine Victoria has released the 2025 Victorian Wine Industry Economic Scorecard, which shows the state’s wine industry delivered a record $10.8 billion economic contribution in 2025, up 14 per cent year-on-year.

Australia’s agricultural sector has received a major boost in its ability to measure and communicate environmental performance, with the release of an expanded national Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) dataset covering more than 1500 farm-gate products.

Elders Limited has entered into an agreement with meat processing company, Australian Meat Group (AMG), to divest its Killara Feedlot business, for total consideration of approximately $195.8 million.