Produce company OneHarvest has secured a $1.775 million grant under the Federal Government’s Manufacturing Transition Program to advance their manufacturing capability.
It will mean an extra 100 local jobs in the next couple of years.
Announcing the investment, the Federal Member for Macarthur, Russell Matheson, said the Federal Government’s Manufacturing Transition Program was part of the commitment to ensuring a secure future for manufacturing in Australia by focusing on areas of competitive strength.
“This investment will enable successful Australian manufacturers like OneHarvest to transition to high-value, knowledge intensive manufacturing,” Mr Matheson said.
“The $1.775 million Manufacturing Transition Program grant is part of a $7 million project that will be housed adjacent to the $34 million freshcut salad facility that is currently under construction in Smeaton Grange.
“This is great news for Macarthur, as it will create around 100 new jobs when both plants are fully operational by June 2017, and has provided employment for a variety of tradespeople during the construction and fit out phase, with 297 tradespeople inducted on the site,” Mr Matheson said.
OneHarvest are developing an innovative processing of salads out of a new Sydney processing facility at Smeaton Grange.
The process will dramatically increase the quality and safety of salads without the detrimental effect of heat or chemical preservatives traditionally used in production.
Managing Director of OneHarvest, Sam Robson, said that once the plant was operational, the project would involve the launch of an entirely new style of salad products to the Australian market, with a range of exciting and tasty positive attributes unlike anything seen before.
There will be approximately 40 new jobs created at the Smeaton Grange plant as a result of the project, as well as jobs created for tradespeople as a result of the installation and commissioning of the new facility, plus the flow-on effect to local suppliers and transport.
OneHarvest (which comprises businesses Harvest FreshCuts, Vegco, Harvest FreshFruits and Harvest Farms) is a successful, third generation, 100 per cent Australian owned produce business with operations in freshcut salads and beetroot as well as in fruits including Calypso mangoes and avocadoes.
Further information on the Manufacturing Transition Program can be found at http://www.business.gov.au/MTP.
