Agribusiness

Organic beef pioneer appoints new head of operations + VIDEO

Jon Condon, 15/02/2012

 

Phil Gutzke has been appointed general manager at Organic Beef ExportsAustralia’s pioneer Certified Organic beef supply chain, Organic Beef Exports, has appointed a new general manager to oversee company operations.

After an extensive search across the Australian beef industry, the OBE Organic board has appointed Phil Gutzke to the position, based out of the company’s Brisbane head office.

Mr Gutzke holds a degree on Applied Science, Food Science and Technology from the University of Queensland. This led him through a number of management positions within the Woolworths network over the next 19 years, providing hands-on and extensive experience in quality assurance, HACCP, technical management, product development, supply chain logistics, meat processing and value-adding.

His most recent role was as Woolworths' Brismeat plant manager near Ipswich, which he filled for the past eight years.

With a passion for supply chain optimisation, Mr Gutzke is looking forward to integrating world's best practise principles into the unique OBE supply chain model, the company said yesterday.

"OBE is a great Australian company recognised as a leader in the niche field of Certified Organic food supply. I'm excited by the opportunity to lead the OBE team into its next phase of growth," he said.

OBE chairman David Brook said the company’s supply chain worked tirelessly on behalf of its supply chain partners to build a sustainable future for the next generation of Australian farming families.

“Under Phil's leadership, we expect to expand our operations significantly. We will continue to engage our supply chain partners to further strengthen our business model," he said.

Mr Gutzke is supported in his role by a sales team with strong experience including deputy general manager, Dalene Wray, based in OBE's Hong Kong office, and newly-appointed sales and production executive, Michael Coonan.

Video backgrounds OBE’s integrity

OBE has recently completed a video showcasing its production values, and explaining, particularly for overseas customers, what the company slogan “The taste of the Australian Outback” really means.

The video package, carrying high production values and accessible in six languages including Arabic and Chinese for the benefit of the company’s expanding  customer base, de-mystifies terms like “Channel Country” for customers unfamiliar with the central Australian landscape, and why it is so amenable to Certified Organic production.

“We feel that we have a pretty unique story to tell and the imagery in this video is a great snapshot of how we do what we do,” said OBE’s Dalene Wray. 

The video was produced as part of an Industry Collaborative Agreement with Meat and Livestock Australia.

Beef Central readers can view OBE’s short video here:

 

In other company news, OBE chairman David Brooke and Asian region manager Dalene Wray are heading overseas this week to examine prospects for further Certified Organic beef sales into the Middle East region.

They will attend the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai, the largest annual food expo in the Gulf region, as part of a contingent of 14 Australian beef exporters supported by MLA.

Production under Halal slaughter conditions means OBE can be squarely targeted at Muslim countries in the Middle East, which is a significant growth area for Australian beef exports.

  • Stay tuned for Beef Central’s interview with David Brooke on his observations about Middle East prospects for Organics on his return.
  • Keep a look-out for Beef Central's new meat and livestock industry jobs and recruitment section, coming soon.

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