Golden Circle (company) facts for kids
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| Unlisted public company | |
| Industry | Food and beverage |
| Founded | 1946 |
| Headquarters | Northgate, Queensland, Australia |
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Area served
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Multinational |
| Products | Over 500 |
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Number of employees
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1800+ |
| Parent | Kraft Heinz |
| Subsidiaries | Original Juice Co. |
Golden Circle is a well-known Australian company that makes lots of yummy food and drinks. These include fruit juices, canned fruits, and vegetables. It is now part of a bigger company called Kraft Heinz, which is based in the USA. Golden Circle's main job is to process food. In 2010, it was recognized for helping Queensland's economy by processing so much fruit and vegetables.
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How It Started
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Golden Circle started making products in 1947. This was after its main factory in Northgate was finished. The new factory officially opened on October 28, 1947. The Premier of Queensland, Edward Hanlon, was there, along with 1500 other people. Many fruit growers from the Sunshine Coast even arrived on a special train!
The company was first called 'Queensland Tropical Fruit Products'. 'Golden Circle' was just the brand name for their products. At first, Golden Circle was part of a larger group that helped market fruit in Queensland.
In 1964, the cannery became its own separate business. This happened under the leadership of Bernard Flewell-Smith and Percival Savage.
Early Products
When it first started, Golden Circle mostly processed and canned pineapples. They also made fruit jams. Over the years, they began to make many more products. These include other canned fruit and vegetables, fruit cordials, juices, fizzy beverages, and even baby food.
In 2009, Golden Circle was sold to a US company called Heinz. Before this, it was owned by Australian farmers. The farmers sold their shares for a much higher price than they were worth. Golden Circle was one of the last Australian food companies owned by Australian farmers to be sold to an international company.
How It Works
Australian farmers provide Golden Circle with over 180,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables each year. Pineapples are the biggest crop they use. These come from places like the Sunshine Coast, Maryborough, and northern Queensland. Vegetables mostly come from the Lockyer Valley, which is west of Brisbane. If a crop isn't grown in Queensland, it comes from other Australian states.
Golden Circle has a special food hall that cost A$20 million. This helps them create new products, like baby food. They also have a special plant that makes over 42 million litres of fruit juices and drinks every year.
Golden Circle employs many people. The number of workers changes depending on the season, usually between 700 and 1,700. Besides its main factory in Brisbane, Golden Circle also owns the Original Juice Co. plant in Mill Park, near Melbourne. They also have a fresh fruit packing operation in Griffith, New South Wales.
What They Make
Golden Circle makes more than 800 different products! These include fruits and vegetables in cans and glass jars. They also make fruit juices, cordials, soft drinks, jams, and baby food. Even though they started with pineapples, pineapple products now make up only about 24% of all the products they sell.
Where They Are
The main factory where Golden Circle makes its products is in Northgate. This is a northern suburb of Brisbane.
Golden Circle has sales offices in every Australian state. They also have offices in New Zealand. Australia is the main place where Golden Circle products are sold. However, they also export their products to New Zealand and other Pacific countries.
The company has special factory outlets where you can buy their products. These are located in Capalaba (east of Brisbane) and in Morayfield (north of Brisbane).
Company Changes
In 2007, another company called Coca-Cola Amatil tried to buy Golden Circle. Then, in 2008, Heinz made an offer to buy Golden Circle. This offer was for $1.65 per share, which added up to $288 million. This offer was seen as a good deal for all the shareholders, especially because of the economic conditions at the time. The Heinz takeover was successfully completed on December 19, 2008.
Production Changes
In May 2011, Golden Circle announced a big change. They decided to move their beetroot production to New Zealand. This meant that about 160 jobs at the Northgate factory were affected. However, Heinz Australia said they would invest over $20 million to improve the drink-making facilities at the Northgate plant.
See also
