Bega
Mission
Our vision is to be The Great Australian Food Company by creating great food for a better future.
Aspiration
The Bega name will stand for quality, integrity and be synonymous with Australian values. Bega branded products will be the first choice of all Australians as they stroll down the supermarket aisle, as well as for suppliers, staff and investors. The cornerstone of our success lies with our strong focus on the needs of our customers, a record of superior shareholder returns, excellent supplier relationships, a safe and energised workforce and long-term community support and engagement.
Our History
Dairying started in the Bega Valley in the 1850’s. In those days each farmer produced and sold products such as cheese and butter from their dairy. After a period of time local farmers decided to improve their individual production and marketing activities and banded together to establish The Bega Co-operative Creamery Company in 1899. Bega’s original factory was opened in Bega in 1900.
There are now approximately 500 farms supplying the Bega group with around 700 million litres of milk from the Bega region in NSW, as well as Gippsland and the Northern and Western Districts in Victoria. Bega’s original site at Lagoon Street still operates today producing cheddar and mozzarella cheese and whey powders. In 1997 Bega built a cheese processing and packaging facility in Ridge Street in Bega, value adding cheese for both the Australian and International market.
Bega manufactures cheese for Fonterra Brands (Australia) which is sold under the “Beqa” brand within Australia.
In April 2007 Bega acquired a 70% controlling interest in Tatura Milk Industries. Tatura Milk was established in 1907 and is located in the township of Tatura in Northern Victoria. Tatura Milk produces a wide range of dairy products and employs more than 300 people. Tatura Milk products are exported primarily to North and South East Asia. The acquisition was a good fit for Bega as it broadened the company’s product range with the addition of cream cheese, milk powders, infant formula and nutraceuticals complimenting Bega’s existing range of natural and processed cheddar cheese and whey powders.
In March 2009, Bega acquired the cheese assets of Kraft Foods at Strathmerton in Victoria. The asset was one of the largest processed cheese facilities in Australasia and Bega further invested in the infrastructure adding natural cheese cutting capacity to the plant.
An important milestone for Bega occurred in August 2011 when the business listed on the Australia Stock Exchange (ASX). Following the successful listing, Bega then acquired the final 30% of Tatura Milk Industries, which then became a wholly owned subsidiary of Bega Cheese Limited.
In March 2014 a life stage nutritional canning and blending plant was commissioned in Derrimut, Victoria. This new facility added to the company’s capabilities which now includes the supply of retail ready infant formula and growing up milk powders to Australian and international customers. This initiative exemplifies the underlying long term strategy of developing value-added products which can be sold throughout the world.
Today, with sites spread around Australia, Bega Cheese Limited now employs approximately 4,000 people and the company has evolved from its modest and localised co-operative heritage in Bega into a significant and innovative player in the Australian and international food and beverage business. The Company’s production of food and dairy products equates to Revenue of approximately $3 billion per annum.
Bega’s rich history stands in pride of place across the business and the factors which have driven its success for over a century remain enmeshed in its culture, ensuring that it remains an Australian icon.
In July 2017, Bega Cheese Limited expanded its portfolio beyond dairy to include some of Australia’s most iconic and loved food brands and products, including Vegemite, ZoOSh and Bega Peanut Butter.
The Bega name stands for quality, integrity and is synonymous with Australian values. We believe Australians will be delighted to see our name take front and center on supermarket aisles. We are an Australian company, with an Australian manufacturing foot print. In fact, we are a company that’s owned by every day Aussies – like you.