With finalists for the 2026 Hive Awards announced this week, Food & Drink Business is looking back at some of the companies recognised over the past two years – and what they have done since.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has completed the Australian leg of the 2026 Australia-China Winemaker Immersion Program, an intensive three-week exchange program across South Australia’s wine regions including McLaren Vale, the Barossa Valley, and the Adelaide Hills.

Australia’s largest privately owned feedlot company, Mort & Co, will list its remaining assets on the market this week, after putting its Pinegrove and Yarranbrook feedlots up for sale last October.

Seedlab Australia has completed its 13th Bootcamp round, with the latest cohort dominated by brands targeting the complexity of feeding modern family households, including products designed around allergen management, fussy eating, and lunchbox nutrition.

Good Food Purchasing Australia (GFPA) has released a report detailing the cost of public food spending – estimated to be more than $2.13 billion annually. Transforming the Public Plate outlines current food procurement across publicly funded institutions and programs, and urges government and industry to establish more sustainable, streamlined, and consistent practices.

A compounding set of supply chain disruptions is expected to materially impact The a2 Milk Company’s China label infant formula availability through April and May, with the company warning its FY26 earnings guidance will fall short.

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has renewed its consultancy agreements with Frank Family Vineyards founders, Leslie and Rich Frank, for a further 12 months, on identical terms to the agreements that expired in December 2025.

Entries are now open for the 2026 Melbourne Royal Australian International Spirits Awards (AISA), formally open to international spirits producers for the first time.

Last month, co-founders of Freshwater Bev Tech and beverage brands, Mrs Toddy’s Tonic, and SUMMi sodas, Sophie and Paul Todd, recently returned from Future Food-Tech 2026 in San Francisco. They wrote this report on the experience for Food & Drink Business.  

Queensland-based non-alcoholic spirits producer, Barnes and Brown Distilling Co., has launched into the Southeast Asian market through an exclusive partnership with Zero Proof Collective, a new alcohol-free distribution and brand building company in Singapore.

Monash Food Innovation (MFI) has partnered with global product intelligence platform Vypr to give students, researchers and industry partners access to real-time consumer insights as part of the product development process.

From regional manufacturers to global powerhouses, the finalists in The Hive Awards 2026 have it covered. Congratulations to the 45 people and companies that made the cut, in a highly competitive field of entries. Winners will be announced at the annual Hive Awards Long Lunch, in Sydney, on 21 May.

Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic) has recycled more than 3 billion cans and bottles since it launched, returning over $300 million directly to Victorians.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has installed a new Return and Earn reverse vending machine (RVM) at its Northmead production facility in Western Sydney, expanding access to container recycling and reinforcing its extended producer responsibility (EPR) commitments.

Fonterra Co-operative Group has appointed Richard Allen as its next CEO, succeeding Miles Hurrell, as the dairy major moves into the next phase of its strategic reset.

Better-for-you soft drink brand, bobby, has completed a crowd-sourced funding (CSF) campaign of more than $546,000 through OnMarket, supported by over 350 investors.