Australia’s hunger relief organisation, Foodbank Australia, has awarded four companies for their contribution towards tackling the pressing problem of hunger in Australia. The Australian Dairy Industry, SPC Ardmona, Patties Foods and Lotterywest received Foodbank Awards at the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s (AFGC) Annual Industry Leaders’ Gala Dinner, held in Canberra on Wednesday 2 November 2011. This year, Foodbank’s ‘Leadership Award’ was presented to the Australian Dairy Industry... ...Read more »

Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) may be preparing to bury the SPC Ardmona brand, reports the Weekly Times Now today. CCA’s board is due to meet on August 8 2011 to discuss the future of the brand. CCA’s managing director, Terry Davis, was quoted in the Weekly Times Now as saying that the review will determine the “right size of the food business”. The review might result in large job cuts at the SPC Ardmona plant in Mooroopna, which produces canned tomatoes, bulk-packed tomato pastes and crushed tomato... ...Read more »

SPC Ardmona has announced the release of three new fruit snacks aimed at kids of all ages into supermarkets across Australia. The Coca-Cola Amatil subsidiary said the three snacks, SPC Fruit Squeezies, SPC Fruit Crush-Ups and SPC Power Pulp, are designed specifically to make fruit fun for kids of all ages, from preschoolers to teens. “According to the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, kids aged four to 18 should eat between one and five serves of fruit each day. However the latest National... ...Read more »

SPC has announced a new innovative packaging design for its baked beans – a resealable 1kg fridge pack, which allows bulk purchasers to consume their baked beans at their own preferred rate. SPC-Ardmona, owned by Coca-Cola Amatil since 2005, said the new pack has been designed to reduce wastage. “Those who only want a mouthful of baked beans can have their mouthful, screw the lid back on and put the pack back in fridge,” said a release from the company. “Alternatively, mums... ...Read more »

SPC Ardmona have advised their suppliers that the company will not be able to accept all the peaches and pears produced in the coming season. A letter from SPC Ardmona, owned by soft drink giant Coca-Cola Amatil, said that the quota for canning pears would be reduced by as much as 25%. “In the current economic climate, the company anticipates difficulties in recovering lost export markets for pear products, and we expect there will be a reduction in the canning pear requirement,” said... ...Read more »

Ocean Spray has announced that, from March 2010, manufacturing giant Heinz will manufacture and distribute the Ocean Spray range of beverages and sauces in Australia. Heinz will takeover from Coca-Cola Amatil who, via their subsidiary SPC Ardmona, began a three-year production deal with Ocean Spray in 2007. The partnership will boost Heinz Australia’s share of the grocery ambient fruit juice/juice drink category to around 28% in the wake of last year’s Golden Circle purchase and offers... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest soft drink producer today announced they remained on track to meet their guidance for the full year, while Mother and Glacéau vitaminwater continue to outperform expectations. “The Australian beverage business achieved solid volume and revenue growth in the third quarter,” the firm advised in their trading update. “Transaction volume growth, being the number of physical beverage packs sold, also remained robust as the business continued to benefit from... ...Read more »

Australia’s largest soft drink bottler, Coca-Cola Amatil, has delivered a record first half net profit after tax of $189.8 million as tougher trading conditions fail to quell Australian appetite for soft drinks. The result, a 10.4% increase on last year, was warmly received by the market and Managing Director Terry Davis. “Although CCA has experienced tougher trading conditions, it has delivered another record result,” he noted. “Excellent performances from the Australian... ...Read more »

Rumours of a possible demerger of Coca-Cola Amatil’s SPC Ardmona business have been quashed today. Amatil yesterday advised of a restructure to their food and services division, creating a new unit to incorporate its bottled springwater supply, vending machines, and café businesses in a bid to reduce operating costs, improve customer service and boost sales. The new “At Work” division will have a combined customer base of over 150,000 and will see a change in the financial reporting... ...Read more »

SPC Ardmona’s Managing Director has resigned to pursue other interests after almost nine years in the job. Nigel Garrard, who took up the position of MD at the fruit processing company in 2000, will continue his career as the Managing Director of packaging company Amcor Australasia. Mr Garrard helped guide the company through the merger of SPC and Ardmona in 2002 and the takeover by Coca-Cola Amatil in 2005. He has faced difficult trading conditions in recent years as the drought takes its... ...Read more »