Coles Group has reported steady growth in its first-quarter results for FY26, driven by a strong supermarket performance. Total group sales revenue rose 3.9 per cent to $10.96 billion, with supermarket sales up 4.8 per cent to $9.97 billion.

Winners of the 2025 Australian Sparkling Wine Show have been announced, with Tasmanian wines taking out all four major trophies, three of them by Treasury Wine Estate’s Heemskerk Wines.

The annual Product of the Year Awards (POY) has confirmed one of the dominant and enduring consumer trends when it comes to food and beverage choices – personal health. NielsenIQ research, commissioned by POY, found 74 per cent of us are focusing on products that support energy, fitness, better sleep, stress relief, and brain function. This year was dominated by private label products, accounting for 68 per cent of winning products.

Woolworths Group has reported a 2.7 per cent increase in group sales to $18.5 billion for the 14-week first quarter ended 5 October. The group’s Australian Food sales rose 3.2 per cent in the first weeks of October and will be launching more than 650 new products for the Christmas holiday period.

C4C Packaging is set to reshape Australia’s wine and ready-to-drink (RTD) landscape with the launch of Oceania's first single-serve aseptic wine and alcoholic beverage co-manufacturing and packaging facility.

Pure Dairy has opened its new $100 million dairy manufacturing and processing plant in Dandenong South. The facility is 13,000 square metres and is already producing various dairy products for key hospitality and retail buyers.

Founded in 2005 by qualified naturopath, Narelle Plapp, Food for Health began when Plapp started hand-making muesli for her patients with coeliac disease. Twenty years on, the brand has grown into a household staple, stocked nationally in Coles and Woolworths. Food & Drink Business spoke with Plapp about building a major manufacturing company from one simple need.

Murray Cod Australia posted a strong start to FY26, reporting a 45 per cent year-on-year sales increase and a 30 per cent lift in customer receipts for the September quarter, driven by rising demand and production throughput.

ASX-listed Lark Distilling Co. has reported growth in the fifth consecutive quarter, posting net sales of $3.7 million in Q1 FY26, up 10 per cent year-on-year. The company’s first quarter showed business momentum as it prepares for a brand relaunch in 2026.

Greenham Australia has reached full operational capacity at its expanded Tongala abattoir, after receiving Victorian government funding in 2021. The investment has led to the company landing contracts with Woolworths and McDonalds.

The Hort Business Summit is back for 2025, taking place in Melbourne on 21 November and bringing together industry leaders and growers from across Australia to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the horticulture sector.

Direct-to-can digital printing is reshaping beverage marketing in Australia, opening new opportunities for creativity, sustainability, and speed to market. PKN Packaging News editor and Food & Drink Business publisher, Lindy Hughson, reports on three packaging leaders in the scene – Orora, Onpack, and East Coast Canning + Printing.

Western Australian marine science solutions company, SeaStock, has secured a $740,000 matched co-investment with Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) to develop functional ingredients from seaweed.

Mudgee-based winemaker, Lowe Family Wine Co., has installed a landmark $850,000 solar and battery system, developed by SPS Solar + Water. With this project, the company has become one of the first wineries in Australia to operate entirely off-grid.

The financial plight of Maggie Beer Holdings (MBH) – it recorded a loss of $24.3 million in FY25 and $28.2 million in FY24 – has been thrown a lifeline by two of Australia’s leading food manufacturers.

With the current food and beverage landscape, ingredients company, Kerry, is helping manufacturers navigate increasingly complex times. Food & Drink Business spoke with the new ANZ general manager for Kerry, Michelle Thomson, about challenges and growth.