2002 Winners
South Australia, dishing up something different...
Malaysia Airlines Young Leader of the Year Award
Winner - Richard Gunner
Richard Gunner’s love of the beef industry began as a teenager, leading heifers at the Royal Adelaide Show.
The 30 year old now manages Wanderribby, the family owned Angus beef-producing property at Meningie and also two retail outlets in Mt Barker, where the company’s premium, branded product is sold.
In just over three years Richard has moved the company from a production-based farm to a value added business, dealing directly with customers.
AWB Ltd Field Crop Industry Achievement Award
Winner - Blue Lake Milling
Blue Lake Milling is a manufacturer of cereal-based foods for the Australian and industrial food export market.
The operation at Bordertown buys grain directly from an extensive grower base and processes it into food ingredients for cereal and snack food manufacturers and brewers.
Blue Lake Milling has gone from strength to strength since winning the Field Crops Award last year. The company’s domestic and export customers have grown despite considerable price increases earlier this year. Sales have increased by more than 40 percent, partly due to the company’s new Organic range of products.
The judges were impressed with Blue Lake Milling’s focus on meeting customer requirements, its product innovation and quality assurance systems.
Adelaide Produce Markets Horticulture Industry Achievement Award
Winner - Kangara Foods
Kangara Foods is one of Australia’s largest growers, processors and distributors of fresh fruit, vegetables and juices.
Kangara has become a recognised domestic brand and a preferred national supplier to Australia’s leading retail chains. Kangara grows and harvests a range of produce on its property at Murtho in South Australia’s Riverland.
Kangara has successfully value added to traditionally low-value commodities and is continually looking for new opportunities to be innovative. It was the first Australian company to produce "Cut and Peeled" baby carrots, which are marketed using "fun" and "catchy" slogans.
The company currently exports to 10 countries throughout Asia as well as the United States and New Zealand.
The judges applauded Kangara’s professional operations and product and its emphasis on being a good corporate citizen in the Riverland.
VISY Board Meat Industry Award
Winner - Holco Fine Meat Suppliers
Holco Fine Meat Suppliers services a range of domestic markets including butchers, supermarkets, hotels and restaurants as well as hospitals and commercial caterers. Holco is committed to servicing its customers, processing meat to meet their exact requirements.
Holco’s motto is that "To be the leader in the market, you must provide outstanding service along with a range of quality products at realistic prices, every day, year after year."
As part of that service, Holco runs two butchering shifts and has staff available 24 hours a day.
The judges applauded Holco for its long-standing commitment to quality and service and were impressed with the company’s plans to move into further value adding by cooking products.
Holco is also examining potential export markets.
PIBA Seafood Industry Achievement Award
Winner - The Australian Southern Seafood Group
The Australian Southern Seafood Group began as processors and marketers of wild caught abalone and now produces farmed abalone which are reared from wild brood stock at the company’s hatchery and grow out facility at Louth Bay near Port Lincoln.
The Australian Southern Seafood Group also has a vision to commercialise the shipment of live abalone to international markets.
The Australian Southern Seafood Group is recognised as an Industry leader in farming large commercial quantities of Abalone for export markets.
After 12 years of operating, the group has perfected the technique of farming abalone in an environmentally sustainable way. The farming process involves spawning Abalone and growing them out to commercial sizes before packaging and exporting to international markets as a highly value added product.
The group predicts the supply of high-quality, farmed abalone will soon overtake the wild catch, ensuring the long-term future of the industry.
National Foods Dairy Industry Achievement Award
Winner - B.-d. Farm Paris Creek
B.-d. Farm Paris Creek, South Australia’s only biodynamic farm producing, manufacturing and marketing it’s own value-added dairy products, including yoghurt, quark, cheese and butter which are all totally free of artificial ingredients.
To satisfy increasing demand for their products, B d Farm built a new processing factory last year and has encouraged neighbouring farmers to adopt biodynamic practices to ensure milk supply.
Established 14 years ago in the Adelaide Hills, B d Farm Paris Creek is a fully integrated business from milk production, to processing in a state of the art facility and marketing of the final, value added products.
These healthy products are now highly sought after both in Australia and Asia, with the first shipment of yoghurt being sent to Singapore recently.
After just 12 months of production in their new factory at Paris Creek, B-d Farm has already exceeded it’s own production expectations and the judging panel believes the company has a very bright future indeed.
Food South Australia Leadership through Innovative Services to the Food Industry
Winner - Pacific Asia Express
Pacific Asia Express has developed technology and systems to ensure greater control over the cold chain.
The company has established a modified atmosphere container service from Adelaide to Singapore, opening the way for large volumes of fresh produce, which previously had to be air freighted, to be exported by sea. Temperature variations in the containers are monitored, via satellite throughout the voyage.
Pacific Asia Express has also introduced the Klaxon system, which monitors temperature variations in refrigerated shipping containers from the farm gate to the customer.
A series of probes placed inside the container transmit data via satellite to a secure website which gives hourly updates throughout the voyage.
The Klaxon system allows exporters to access real-time information, from their office computers, while temperature sensitive cargo is in transit. If a problem occurs an alert is transmitted via SMS or email.
The company believes its services will significantly reduce costs for exporters as well as increase shelf life and minimise loss of cargo.
Regency Institute of TAFE Leadership through Training and Development Award
Winner - Lenzerheide Restaurant
Lenzerheide Restaurant, now in its 13th year of operation is a long-term player in Adelaide’s hospitality industry.
The European-style, silver service restaurant situated at Hawthorn, sees training and development as an integral part of its success. Lenzerheide encourages multi-skilling of all staff through in-house and external training.
Lenzerheide’s philosophy is to add value to its business by training staff to provide outstanding service to its customers.
To achieve this, Lenzerheide employees have undertaken accredited training in food handling skills as well as appreciation courses in wine, cheese and coffee making. Formal and informal training is offered at all levels of the organisation.
Lenzerheide also works in partnership with Regency Institute where several restaurant staff lecture in hospitality training.
Food Adelaide Leadership through New Export Development Award
Winner - Australian Hiramasa
Australian Hiramasa has formed strategic alliances with leading seafood groups to build its brand and gain access to marketing and distribution channels.
Australian Hiramasa exports to 18 countries and is committed to developing a more focussed export strategy into Taiwan, Japan and the United States.
Australian Hiramasa was the first commercial yellowtail kingfish farm and processing operation in Australia and continues to grow its reputation as an innovative industry leader throughout the world.
Australian Hiramasa has developed close relationships with key partners in target export markets.
The company is currently developing exports throughout Asia, North America and Europe.
Envestra Leadership through Innovation Award
Winner - Ludvigsen Family Farms
Ludvigsen Family Farms is a commercial pork producer based near Snowtown.
It is the principle supplier to Port Wakefield abattoir, which flies pigs to Singapore weekly.
The company has recently introduced an effluent treatment system which significantly reduces odour emissions.
Ludvigsen Family Farms’ goals is to be a leader in Australia’s pig industry through it’s consistent, quality product and environmental program to manage effluent.
The company also recently installed an innovative flooring system in the farrowing rooms virtually eliminating fatalities from sows crushing their piglets, which has historically been a large cost for producers.