South Australian ice cream maker Golden North has received $895,000 in funding from Low Carbon Australia to expand and improve its business ahead of a push into overseas markets.
The funding will go towards a refrigeration upgrade for the company which is midway through a $3 million expansion project to increase output and add new product lines.
The new refrigeration system will use variable speed drives making it much more efficient, according to the company.
The refrigeration upgrade is the second stage of Golden North's expansion project. Last year the ice cream company installed a new churn and new filling machine.
Next on the list is the installation of a new water cooling system and the expansion of the floor space area in its packing room, according to Trevor Pomery, Golden North's marketing manager.
The expansion will not only make the company more efficient, it will also give it the capacity to grow the business, he told Food & Drink Business.
“In the past we had no capacity so there was no point in chasing volume,” he said. “The long term plan is to sell into South East Asia. Ice cream is seasonal, so as we are coming off our peak here, we'll be heading into their peak.”
The refrigeration project is financed by Low Carbon Australia. It has also received funding and project support from peak body Food South Australia Inc and 50 per cent of the project cost from the Australian Government’s Clean Technology Food and Foundries Investment Program.
Golden North is midway through a $3 million project to increase output and add new product lines to its ice cream range.
