Bega Group facts for kids
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| Public company | |
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| Industry | Dairy, Food processing |
| Founded | July 1899 |
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Australia
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Key people
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Peter Findlay (CEO) |
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Production output
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Operating income
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| Subsidiaries | |
The Bega Group is a big Australian company that makes many different kinds of food and drinks. They have factories in several parts of Australia, including New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, and Victoria.
The company started in a town called Bega, New South Wales. It began as a group of dairy farmers working together. This is called an agricultural cooperative. In 2011, Bega became a public company. This means its shares can be bought and sold on the Australian Securities Exchange. Many of these 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 each year. A big part of Bega's money comes from popular spreads, dairy products, and other groceries. Their main brand, Bega, sells a lot of cheese in Australia.
Other well-known brands from Bega Group include Vegemite, Farmers Table, Zoosh, Picky Picky, Tatura, and Dairymont. Bega cheese products are sold in most supermarkets across Australia. They are also sent to over 40 countries around the world.
Bega Group also makes important dairy ingredients like cheese, cream cheese, and powdered milk. They also produce special nutritional products. These include things like lactoferrin and milk protein concentrate.
Contents
The Story of Bega Group
How Bega Started and Grew (1850s–1996)
The story of Bega Cheese began in the 1850s. This was when dairy farming first started in the Bega Valley. In 1899, local farmers created the Bega Co-operative Creamery Company. The first Bega Cheese factory opened the next year.
For many years, the business stayed local. But by 1960, Bega began to grow. They opened a new facility in Fyshwick, ACT. This helped them process and package milk for bigger markets.
The late 1990s were a big time for Bega Cheese. In 1997, they built a new, modern factory in Bega for making and packaging cheese. They also teamed up with Dairy Farmers. This partnership, now called Capitol Chilled Foods, processes and sells chilled dairy products. These products go to the ACT and Southern NSW.
Bega grew even faster in the 2000s. In 2007, they bought most of Tatura Milk Industries. By 2011, they owned the whole company. Bega also bought other important businesses. These included De Cicco Industries in Melbourne (2008) and Kraft Foods' cheese factory in Strathmerton, Victoria (2009). In 2014, they opened a new plant in Derrimut, Victoria. This plant was for blending and canning nutritional products.
In August 2011, Bega became a public company. This meant people could buy shares in the company on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX).
Becoming a Diverse Food Company (2017–2021)
From 2017, Bega started to become a company that makes many different foods. In January 2017, they bought the Australian food business from Mondelez International. This deal brought famous brands like Vegemite, Zoosh, and Bonox to Bega. It also included the Port Melbourne factory.
In the same year, Bega sold its infant formula plant in Derrimut. They also bought the Peanut Company of Australia in Kingaroy, Queensland. In 2018, Bega bought the Koroit milk drying and butter factory in Victoria from Saputo. They closed their Coburg factory in 2019. That year, Bega started the Purple Hive Project. This project helps protect honeybees.
In 2019, Bega won a legal case against Kraft Heinz. The case was about the packaging of peanut butter. Kraft Heinz appealed the decision in 2020, but the appeal was dismissed. In 2021, both companies reached a private agreement.
In November 2020, Bega bought Lion Dairy & Drinks from the Kirin Company. This big purchase cost $534 million. It added major dairy brands like Dairy Farmers and Pura Milk to Bega's family of brands.
The Bega Group Today (2022-present)
In 2022, Bega brought all its growing brands together under one name: the Bega Group. This includes well-known names like Bega Cheese, Vegemite, Pura, Dare Iced Coffee, Dairy Farmers, Farmers Union, and Zooper Dooper.
In August 2023, Bega agreed to buy Betta Milk and Meander Valley Dairy. These companies were from TasFoods Limited. This deal also included rights to the Pyengana Dairy brand. This helped Bega grow even more in Tasmania and the national dairy industry.
Popular Bega Brands
Bega Group makes many products you might know:
- Bega Cheese
- Vegemite
- Dairy Farmers
- Pura
- Farmers Union
- Yoplait (in Australia only)
- Daily Juice
- Zooper Dooper
- Dare Iced Coffee
- Masters
- Big M
- Mildura Juice
- Zoosh
See also
- Bega Dairy & Drinks
- Dairy farming in Australia
- List of cheesemakers
- List of oldest companies in Australia
