Ireland's Kerry Group is building a new food technology and innovation centre in Queensland, Australia. The facility will also be the company's new headquarters for Australia and New Zealand.
The new Kerry Australia and New Zealand Development and Application Centre will comprise pilot plants, laboratories and tasting facilities. It will have access to Kerry's global R&D network, insights, market knowledge, and culinary and applications expertise.
The Brisbane-based centre will enable Kerry to reduce time to market for new product development. It will also increase its capacity to drive food innovation in the region.
'The facility will bring the benefits of our global technologies to local food and beverage producers – supporting regional industry development,' says Christine Giuliano, General Manager, Kerry Australia and New Zealand.
'Considering Queensland's alignment with Kerry's growth strategies, we are looking forward to supporting a strong, sustainable and critical food and beverage manufacturing sector in the region,' says Giuliano.
The Brisbane facility is complemented by the Kerry Australia and New Zealand Commercial Connect Centre in Sydney. The centre is a specialist research and development applications hub.
Australia's food and beverage industry
Australia is an attractive destination for food manufacturing. The food and beverage industry is Australia's largest manufacturing sector. It accounts for more than 18% (or A$50 billion) of Australia's total manufacturing turnover each year.
Kerry will also have access to a highly qualified workforce. The company has indicated it will partner with local universities to place graduates in the centre through its Graduate Programme.
Kerry's investment was supported by the Queensland Government's Advance Queensland Industry Attraction Fund. It aligns with the Australian Government's Modern Manufacturing Strategy, where food and beverage is one of six areas of comparative advantage and strategic importance.
