Victoria’s Business Competitiveness Program has awarded six food and beverage companies grants in its latest round of funding.
Australian International Foods, Not A Trace Foods, Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, and Picnic Dairy Foods all received grants towards production scale up projects, while Grain & Bake Co. Australia and Real Food Farming’s grants will go towards new product development.
Industry manufacturing companies Foodmach, RMR Engineering and Remax Doors received grants for technology improvements.
The Victorian government allocated more than $10 million to 28 small-to-medium sized manufacturing businesses, with companies eligible for up to $500,000 to help expand operations, introduce new technology and generate more jobs.
For Phillip Island Chocolate Factory, the grant will go towards new machinery and its expansion plans, boosting production from 35 tonnes to 550 tonnes of chocolate every year.
The project will also create more viewing areas for the public to see how the company’s chocolate treats are made, enhancing the experience for visitors which averaged around 170,000 a year prior to the pandemic.
The 28 projects recognised by the program are worth more than $35 million the government said and will create up to 560 new jobs.
The full list of recipients is here.
