Food and drink brands had a tough time this year, with shoppers’ purse strings were pulled tight as economic tough times, and interest rates, hit hard. Founder of Females in Food and the Foodpreneurs Festival, Chelsea Ford, looks at the state of the start-up sector.

A high-performance factory is something every manufacturer strives for, but too much focus on an individual machine’s speed can result in comparatively little thought being given to how the factory performs as a whole. Foodmach CEO Earle Roberts looks at what is required to create a winning production line.

Australia’s oldest family-owned chocolate maker, Haigh’s Chocolates, is about to embark on the largest infrastructure investment of its 108-year history. The two-year project starts this month and will ultimately double its chocolate production.

Food tech company Vow’s bid to have its cultured quail approved as a novel food took a step forward with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) finding “no toxicological, nutritional safety or food allergenicity concerns” with its cultured quail cells.

Asahi Group Holdings has appointed Amanda Sellers to Group CEO of Asahi Beverages, the first female CEO of a regional headquarters for the group. Sellers has been acting in the role since June, when Robert Iervasi resigned. Prior to that she was Group CFO.

CSIRO’s Agriculture and Food deputy director (Impact) Professor Michelle Colgrave and Future Protein Mission Lead, Crispin Howitt, question the polarising branding of proteins and the need to refocus on nutrition and our future food systems.  

Nutrition and ingredients company dsm-firmenich has crowned Peach+ as the 12th annual Flavour of the Year for 2024. Peach+ was inspired by the Pantone 2024 Colour of the Year, Peach Fuzz.

Infant formula manufacturer, Bubs Australia, says its US revenue in November averaged more than $770,000 a week. Bubs is currently the number one goat milk infant formula brand in the US, with the company focused on achieving FDA long-term approval. 

Research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found that several purportedly low or reduced gluten beers contain equivalent or higher amounts of gluten proteins than regular beers.

Agri-food tech accelerator SparkLabs Cultiv8 has opened applications for its sixth accelerator program, consisting of 10 companies ranging from early-stage founders to growth and commercialisation companies.

Funday Natural Sweets has launched into Coles supermarkets across the country, with its core products Fruity Snakes, Sour Peach Hearts and Raspberry Gummy Frogs now available at Coles checkouts.

Australia’s first social enterprise bakery, The Bread & Butter Project, has graduated its latest group of bakers. This year, fourteen refugees achieved accreditation, bringing the total alumni of the project to nearly 80. 

Grant Burge Wines has launched its 30 Leaving Their Mark initiative, recognising 30 Australians who are silently making waves and lasting impacts on their communities, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Grant Burge Wines Pinot Noir Chardonnay.

In recent years, Australia’s vibrant nightlife and drinking culture wrapped around bars and pubs has seen a significant shift, where sober-curious consumers are redefining their drinking habits in pursuit of better overall health, writes ADM Asia Pacific marketing director Sarah Lim. 

SSS Strawberries, one of Australia’s largest strawberry growers, has opened its 4000 square metre freeze drying factory in Bundaberg, Queensland. At capacity, the factory will be able to process more than 2000 tonnes of fruit.