Bega Cheese

The Bega Group is an Australian diversified food and drinks company with manufacturing sites in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria. Founded as an agricultural cooperative in the town of Bega, New South Wales by their dairy suppliers, it became a public company in 2011 when it listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Close to half of shares publicly traded are still held by Bega's farmer-suppliers. It is currently one of the largest companies in the dairy sector in Australia, with a base milk supply in 2018 of approximately 750 million litres per annum.

Over half of the Bega Group's revenue (as of 2019) comes from their spreads, dairy consumer packaged goods and other grocery products, with their flagship Bega brand holding 15.7% of the Australian retail cheese market. The Bega Group's other major consumer and foodservice packaged goods brands are Vegemite, Farmers Table, Zoosh, Picky Picky, Tatura and Dairymont. The Bega branded Australia retail and foodservice cheese products are distributed by Fonterra under a long-term agreement. Just under a third of the Bega Group's revenue (as of 2019) was from exports. The cheese products are exported to 40 countries and distributed across Australia where they are available in most supermarkets and general stores.

Their other major business segments include bulk core dairy ingredients such as cheese, cream cheese and powdered milk (making up approximately 35% of revenue) and nutritional products produced under the Bega Bionutrients brand (such as lactoferrin and milk protein concentrate), which make up around 9% of revenue.

History

Founding and Early Growth (1850s–1996)

The origins of Bega Cheese go back to the 1850s when dairying began in the Bega Valley. In 1899 local farmers established the Bega Co-operative Creamery Company. The following year the original Bega Cheese factory was opened. The business remained regional for much of the 20th century, but by 1960 Bega had begun to expand operations, commissioning a milk processing and packaging facility in Fyshwick, ACT to serve broader markets.

Expansion, Diversification, and Public Listing (1997–2016)

The late 1990s marked a turning point for Bega Cheese. In 1997, the company constructed a modern cheese processing and packaging facility on Ridge Street in Bega and entered into a joint venture with Dairy Farmers (then known as Australian Co-operative Foods). This venture, (now known as Capitol Chilled Foods), focused on processing and distributing chilled products in the ACT and Southern NSW.

Bega's expansion accelerated in the 2000s. In 2007, it acquired a 70% stake in Tatura Milk Industries, completing full ownership by 2011. Along the way, the company acquired several key assets: De Cicco Industries in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg (2008), Kraft Foods' cheese manufacturing facility in Strathmerton, Victoria (2009), and a new nutritional canning and blending plant in Derrimut, Victoria (2014).

The company was publicly listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in August 2011.

Transformation through Key Acquisitions (2017–2021)

From 2017 onwards, Bega changed into a diversified food group. In January 2017 it acquired Mondelez International’s Australian meals business, securing household names like Vegemite, Zoosh, and Bonox, as well as licences for Dairylea and Snackabouts. The deal also included the Port Melbourne manufacturing site and a licence for Kraft-branded cheese and peanut butter. The same year Bega sold its Derrimut infant formula plant and a spray dryer in Tatura to U.S.-based Mead Johnson and acquired the Peanut Company of Australia in Kingaroy, Queensland.

In 2018 Bega acquired the Koroit milk drying and butter processing facility in Victoria from Saputo and closed its Coburg facility in 2019. That year the company launched the Purple Hive Project under its B Honey brand, focusing on honeybee biosecurity.

In 2019 the company won a legal dispute with Kraft Heinz over the packaging of its peanut butter. In 2020, Kraft Heinz appealed the case to the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia, but was dismissed. In 2021, the two companies had reached a confidential settlement.

In November 2020 Bega purchased Lion Dairy & Drinks from the Kirin Company for $534 million. . The acquisition included major dairy brands such as Dairy Farmers and Pura Milk.

Bega Group (2022-Present)

In 2022, Bega consolidated its expanding portfolio under the Bega Group, bringing together brands including Bega Cheese, Vegemite, Pura, Dare Iced Coffee, Dairy Farmers, Farmers Union, and Zooper Dooper.

In August 2023, Bega entered into an agreement to acquire Betta Milk and Meander Valley Dairy from TasFoods Limited for $11 million. The deal also included rights to the Pyengana Dairy brand, further strengthening Bega's presence in Tasmania and the national dairy sector.

Brands

* Bega Cheese
* Vegemite
* Dairy Farmers
* Pura
* Farmers Union
* Yoplait (Australia-only)
* Daily Juice
* Zooper Duper
* Dare Iced Coffee
* Masters
* Big M
* Mildura Juice

See also

Bega Dairy & Drinks

* List of cheesemakers
* List of oldest companies in Australia

References

External links

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{{Portal bar, Food, New South Wales

Australian cheeses
Brand name dairy products
Dairy products companies of Australia
Food and drink companies established in 1899
Australian companies established in 1899
Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange
Australian brands
Fonterra brands
Peanut butter brands
Companies based in New South Wales
Bega Valley Shire