Brothers Michael and Terry Nolan, left, with Mick and Ben Hewitt from Hewitt, overlooking the Nolan Meats processing site near Gympie in southern Queensland

ONE of the pioneers of Queensland’s meat processing industry is embarking on a historic new chapter with Australia’s largest Certified Organic meat producer.

Nolan Meats has today confirmed that its shareholders have entered into an agreement for Hewitt to acquire the nearly 70-year-old business, subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

The family-owned business, which is run by brothers Terry, Michael and Tony Nolan, will continue to operate from its Gympie home, where it is the region’s largest private employer, and services both domestic and export markets.

Nolan Meats has pioneered many industry-firsts, including being the first meat processor in Australia to operate under the Australian Export Meat Inspection System (AEMIS), and in 2017 opened what was, at the time, the largest fully automated meat chilling and distribution centre in the Southern Hemisphere.

Hewitt, under the leadership of brothers Mick and Ben Hewitt, has grown significantly in the past decade to become Australia’s leading organic meat producer.

The company oversees extensive agriculture operations across regional Australia. It also operates a retail food arm, including the Cleaver’s Organic brand locally, together with export operations to Asia and the Americas.

Acquiring a processing plant under the proposed deal with Nolan Meats will strengthen Hewitt’s ability to deliver high-quality products across domestic and export markets at greater scale, while creating expanded opportunities for current and future employees, customers and suppliers.

For Terry Nolan, speaking on behalf of the family, it was an opportunity to ensure the business that began as a humble butcher shop opened by his parents Pat and Marie in 1958, was well positioned for the future.

“We are proud of the role Nolan Meats has played within the Gympie region and the wider Australian meat industry over many decades,” Terry Nolan said.

“It is the right time to transition the business to a group that shares similar values, a long-term commitment to Australian agriculture and a strong focus on people, community and industry.”

“The proposed transfer of ownership will provide continuity for Nolan Meats employees, customers, suppliers and producers, while maintaining its role as one of regional Queensland’s leading meat processing operations.”

Hewitt Group Chief Executive and Managing Director Mick Hewitt said the proposed purchase was an ideal match between two Australian founder-led businesses with deep ties to the rural communities in which they operated.

“My brother Ben and I started out as kids from the bush, growing up in a regionally founded family business. To have the opportunity to bring Nolan Meats and Hewitt together is a great honour, and an important step in our mission to create prosperity for the people who work within our businesses and the communities in which we operate,” Mr Hewitt said.

Completion remains subject to customary conditions precedent, including applicable regulatory approvals, and is currently expected to occur in the second half of 2026.

Brothers Michael, Terry and Tony Nolan (seated), with Ben (left) and Mick Hewitt during a recent Nolan Meats site visit

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