Round 2 of the Boosting Female Founders Initiative is now open. The program offers co-contributor grants up to $400,000 for start-ups that are majority owned and led by women.

The Federal Court of Australia has rejected legal proceedings brought by Freedom Foods Group against Blue Diamond Growers and ruled the remaining proceedings must head to arbitration in the US.

Award-winning gin outfit Four Pillars has installed a 65.88kW solar system on the roof of its Healesville distillery. It is expected to save the business $12,800 a year

The federal government has announced a $1.2 billion funding boost to its wage subsidy scheme, extending the program for another 12 months.

Murray River Organics has appointed Birol Akdogan as its new managing director and CEO, following Valentina Tripp’s resignation in January. Akdogan has been acting CEO since Tripp’s departure.

Interim CEO Michael Perich says Freedom Foods Group’s half yearly results validate the decision to focus on its Dairy and Nutritionals and Plant-based Beverages brands.

A second class action has been launched action against Freedom Foods and its auditors Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. The action is backed by litigation funder Omni Bridgeway and run by Phi Finney McDonald.

Mars Australia will transition to 100 per cent renewable power as part of the global company’s $1.2 billion commitment to combat climate change.

A longstanding voluntary agreement by manufacturers not to advertise or promote infant formula will continue, but the ACCC has raised concerns manufacturers are lessening its impact with toddler formula promotion.

Despite a 33 per cent decline in revenue on the prior corresponding period in Q1 FY21, goat infant formula company Nuchev reported a 118 per cent revenue jump on the preceding quarter in 2Q.

The Victorian Supreme Court has ruled Bega Cheese is permitted to use the Bega trademark on products outside the scope of the licence Fonterra has for Bega branded cheese and butter products.

Maggie Beer Holdings reported record sales in 1H21, with net sales up 28.6 per cent on the prior comparative period. Cheese was the standout, up 76 per cent pcp.

Patties Foods will sell its two Victorian manufacturing plants in a sale-and-leaseback offering, it announced this week. It anticipates raising around $130 million from the sales.

Revenue for the a2 Milk Company fell 16 per cent in the first half of FY21 to $677.4 million but new CEO David Bortolussi remains upbeat, saying the fundamentals of the company were strong.

Bega Cheese has generated statutory EBITDA of $65.8 million, an increase of $26.5 million on the pcp. Its half-year reported PAT was $21.7 million, increasing 154 per cent ($13.2 million) on the pcp.

Pernod Ricard Winemakers is the first wine company to be recognised by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality. Similarly, Woolworths is the first major food retailer to receive the citation.