NORTHERN NSW beef processor Bindaree Beef will greatly expand its retail-ready beef operations after securing a dedicated production site at Burleigh Heads, not far from the Queensland NSW border.

Bindaree’s retail ready Highland Park product on sale in Aldi supermarkets

The large-scale 9000sq m factory was formerly the main operations site for the TopCut/TenderPlus group, now owned by Simplot Australia, which has since relocated.

Bindaree will lease the facility on the Gold Coast from which it will grow its already established retail-ready beef processing operations, producing retail ready products for large Australian customers like the expanding Aldi supermarket chain, as well as overseas customers.

The Burleigh facility will generate portioned retail-ready and value-added food products using raw material from the Bindaree plant. The site also houses large-scale cold storage, blast freezing and warehousing capacity for finished goods.

The factory is only 11km from the Coolangatta international/domestic airport, with easy access to the Port of Brisbane to the north, both servicing export markets of Southeast Asia and beyond.

Up to now, all of the company’s retail-ready work has been carried out at the Inverell plant, the Burleigh Heads facility will allow it to expand is operations.

The new Burleigh facility comprises large dual production areas with multiple freezer and chiller areas, ten loading docks, staff amenities able to accommodate up to 300 staff, car parks and extensive office facilities. The site has previously been Halal, USDA and AQIS accredited.

Bindaree plans to invest a significant amount of money in the site to extend its operational capacity and product offerings in both the retail and food service sectors, expecting to commence operations early in the new financial year.

Andrew McDonald

Having the ability to further develop this key part of the business was pivotal in achieving the company’s strategic business objectives, Bindaree’s chief executive officer Andrew McDonald said.

Integrating with the Burleigh factory project, additional investment will also take place at Bindaree’s Inverell processing facility, to be able to produce products directly into Asian markets.

“These changes will help ensure that we are well-positioned to service our expanding export production requirements for value-added products – especially the growth in sales in China,” Mr McDonald said.

He said it was an exciting time for Bindaree Beef and its new joint venture partners – Hong Kong based Hui family and investment firm Archstone Capital – who continued to share Bindaree’s vision to become a more competitive company that can cater for both local and international markets; rapidly expanding its reach while also upgrading its facilities, supply chain and distribution channels.

Beef Central covered the investment by the Hui family and Archstone Capital in Bindaree in this story published last year.

A staged program of work on both sites will be completed over the coming months.

Bindaree Retail manager Ricky Taylor, who previously built the BE Campbell retail ready operations also supplying Aldi, Woolworths with pork, beef and lamb, will lead the team tasked with the responsibility of delivering a successful plant renovation and transition to the new premises.

Growth in Aldi operations

As Beef Central highlighted in this earlier story, Bindaree’s major domestic retail costumer, Aldi Supermarkets, continues to grow strongly in Australia, now operating more than 500 outlets across Australia.

Aldi will open another 32 stores this year in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia, and plans to refresh 40 more with is new store format, increasing its focus in fresh produce, meat, healthy foods and organics.

That expansion, and increasing demand for beef products including the in-house Highland Park and Jindurra Station brands produced by Bindaree, is a significant driver of Bindaree’s retail-ready and value-added expansion plans.

As part of latest moves, Bindaree is also investing in greater research and new product development capability.

Contrasting with the Coles and Woolworths models which place meat departments in a far corner of each outlet, Aldi places its chilled meat cases towards the front of each store – a learning which has come out of the company’s UK operations, which they believe delivers a significant uplift in protein sales.