Bega Group facts for kids
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| Public company | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Dairy, Food processing |
| Founded | July 1899 |
| Headquarters |
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Australia
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Key people
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Pete Findlay (CEO) |
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Production output
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| Revenue |
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Operating income
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| Subsidiaries | Bega Dairy & Drinks |
The Bega Group is a big Australian company that makes many different foods and drinks. They have factories in several parts of Australia. These include New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria.
The company started in 1899 in a town called Bega, New South Wales. It began as a group of local dairy farmers working together. In 2011, it became a public company. This means its shares can be bought and sold on the Australian stock market. Many of its shares are still owned by the farmers who supply milk to Bega.
Bega Group is one of Australia's largest dairy companies. In 2018, they used about 750 million litres of milk.
Contents
What Bega Group Makes
More than half of Bega Group's money comes from spreads, dairy products, and other groceries. Their main brand, Bega, sells a lot of cheese in Australia. About 15.7% of all retail cheese sold in Australia is Bega cheese.
Popular Bega Brands
Bega Group owns many well-known brands. These include Vegemite, Farmers Table, Zoosh, Picky Picky, Tatura, and Dairymont. You can find Bega cheese products in most supermarkets across Australia. They also send their cheese to 40 other countries.
Other Products
Bega Group also makes other important dairy items. These include large amounts of cheese, cream cheese, and powdered milk. These products make up about 35% of their income. They also create special nutritional products. These are sold under the Bega Bionutrients brand. Examples are lactoferrin and milk protein concentrate. These make up about 9% of their income.
How Bega Group Started and Grew
Dairying, which is farming cows for milk, began in the Bega Valley in the 1850s.
Early Years
In 1899, local farmers created the Bega Co-operative Creamery Company. Their first factory opened in 1900. In 1960, they built a facility in Fyshwick, ACT. This plant processed and packaged fresh milk.
In 1997, Bega built a new cheese factory in Bega. Also in 1997, they teamed up with another company. This partnership is now called Canberra Milk. They work together to make and sell fresh milk in the ACT and Southern NSW.
Growing Bigger
Bega Group started buying other companies to grow.
- In 2007, they bought most of Tatura Milk Industries.
- In 2008, they bought De Cicco Industries in Melbourne.
- In 2009, they bought a cheese factory from Kraft Foods in Strathmerton, Victoria.
Becoming a Public Company
In August 2011, Bega Cheese joined the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). After this, Bega Cheese bought the rest of Tatura Milk. Tatura Milk then became fully owned by Bega Cheese.
Recent Expansions
Bega Group continued to expand its business.
- In 2014, they opened a new plant in Derrimut, Victoria. This plant made special nutritional products for different life stages.
- In January 2017, they bought the Australian meals business from Mondelez International. This included famous brands like Vegemite, Zoosh, and Bonox. They also got the right to make Kraft-branded cheese and peanut butter for a time.
- In February 2017, they sold their infant formula plant in Derrimut to Mead Johnson.
- In December 2017, they bought Peanut Company of Australia in Kingaroy, Queensland.
- In July 2018, they bought a milk drying and butter factory in Koroit, Victoria, from Saputo.
- In February 2019, they closed their Coburg cheese factory.
- In 2020, B Honey launched the Purple Hive Project.
- In November 2020, Bega bought Lion Dairy & Drinks from Japan's Kirin Company for $534 million.
Legal Matters and New Brands
In 2019, Bega Group won a legal case against Kraft Heinz. The case was about the packaging of their peanut butter. Kraft Heinz tried to appeal in 2020, but they lost. In 2021, both companies agreed to a private settlement.
In 2020, Bega raised a lot of money. This helped them buy many dairy products from Kirin. These included well-known brands like Dairy Farmers and Pura Milk.
In 2022, the Bega Group was officially formed. This brought together many popular brands. These include Bega Cheese, Vegemite, Dare Iced Coffee, Dairy Farmers, Farmers Union, and Zooper Dooper.
In August 2023, Bega agreed to buy Betta Milk and Meander Valley Dairy. They also got a license to use the Pyengana Dairy brand.
See also
- List of cheesemakers
- List of oldest companies in Australia
