The entrepreneurial spirit, sustainability focus and consumer deliverables were driving forces behind the judges’ decision to award Sam Musson both Emerging Leader and Golden Hive winner at this year’s Hive Awards. Through her companies Zest Element and Harvest ResQ, Musson is reshaping how the food industry thinks about surplus produce. Managing editor, Kim Berry, caught up with her to find out what has happened since her win in May.

Good Drinks Australia has reported an 18 per cent lift in sales volume to 7.5 million litres for the first quarter of FY27, with own brand volumes up 25 per cent to 4.6 million litres and Matso’s up 71 per cent.

Bega Group has taken its Dairy Farmers brand into ready-to-drink meal replacement and added creatine and collagen to its protein smoothie range, as consumer research shows snacks displacing sit-down meals.

The latest report from RaboResearch has found impact from the Reserve Bank’s fifth interest rate rise this year on the food and beverage sector is weakening demand, raising input costs and splintering food inflation by category.

Adelaide brewer, Coopers Brewery, recorded its third year of volume growth in FY26, lifting keg sales by 7.4 per cent and reporting a 6.2 per cent profit before tax increase to $23.9 million.

Contract brewer, Tribe Breweries, has acquired Gold Coast craft brewer Black Hops out of voluntary administration. The price has not been disclosed, but Tribe says all Queensland roles and 90 per cent of jobs nationally to be retained.

Woolworths’ new chilled and fresh food distribution hub in Western Sydney hits a major milestone, with 800 new roles being recruited for the Southern Hemisphere's biggest refrigerated distribution centre.

The Australian Tax Office has confirmed Australia’s illicit alcohol market is continuing to grow, with the alcohol tax gap rising to $1.23 billion, more than doubled since 2015–16.

Euromonitor International’s top consumer trends for 2027 put consistency, availability and provable claims at the centre of what shoppers will pay for. No longer judging value on price alone, consumers want to know whether the product they buy today will still be on shelf, taste the same and cost what they expect next month.

As one in three Australian households face hunger this Christmas, Aldi and Foodbank are turning festive roasts into vital food relief, with their campaign aiming to deliver 250,000 meals to Aussies in need.

Charter Hall Group’s $1 billion Light Horse Logistics Hub at Eastern Creek is now 100% leased, cementing the 180,000sqm industrial estate’s position as a major food logistics hub.

In a campaign to get more Australian goatmeat into supermarkets and household dinner rotation, the Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) and Drakes Supermarkets have launched a new domestic marketing campaign.

Australian food processors are facing a growing commercial squeeze as major retail and foodservice customers want stronger environmental credentials from suppliers, while continuing to push hard on price. New modelling from the Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC) shows Australia’s red meat processing sector could achieve net zero emissions by 2045 without sacrificing profitability.

Australian investment firm, Tundra Capital, has led a $2.4 million Series A raise for deep-tech company, N&E Innovations. The Singaporean company turns discarded food waste into an edible antimicrobial that can help fresh produce last up to four times longer.

Circana retail scan data shows sales of bottles of shiraz under $10, fell 8.3 per cent over the past year, but sales above $35 grew 6.9 per cent. According to the data, shiraz accounts for two in every five dollars spent on bottled red wine in Australia, which covers the year to 4 October 2026.

Endeavour Group lifted first quarter sales 2.8 per cent to $3.18 billion, with a growth in transactions at Dan Murphy’s offsetting a slowdown in its hotels business.