An artist impression of the proposed new flour mill. Photo: Victorian Government

ONE OF Australia’s largest food manufacturers, George Weston Foods (GWF), is investing $132.9 million to construct a new Mauri flour mill in Ballarat, Victoria.

The new mill will replace the historic North Melbourne Flour Mill, which, due to its metropolitan location, has limited expansion opportunities.

The new mill is expected to create 220 jobs in Ballarat, including the transfer of 46 jobs from the existing Victorian flour mill.

GWF chief executive Stuart Grainger said the investment will enable the company to continue to serve its customers into the future.

“We are excited to be investing in the future of sustainable agriculture and food production in Victoria,” Mr Grainger said.

“This new flour mill, together with other investments, enables us to continue to grow our Tip Top, Abbotts, Don and Yumi’s brands whilst also being better able to serve the needs of our Mauri customers.”

GWF employs 3000 staff across eight sites in Victoria, and is one of the largest private-sector employers in the state, with half of its workforce employed in regional Victoria.

Victorian Government Minister for Industry Support and Recovery Martin Pakula said he was supportive of GWF’s decision to buiild a new mill at Ballarat.

“We’re supporting investments like this because they help strengthen the local supply chain and Victoria’s position as a leader in food manufacturing,” Mr Pakula said.

“A major company like George Weston Foods choosing to expand in Victoria will drive economic growth in our food-manufacturing sector and create new jobs across the state.”

It is unknown when construction will commence on the new mill; however, Grain Central understands North Melbourne employees have been told about the new development in order to give them enough time to consider a transfer to the Ballarat site.

Wholesale-baking ingredient supplier, Mauri, is a division of GWF, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Associated British Foods.

GWF owns several Australian food labels, including the bread and baked-goods brand Tip Top, processed-meat company Don, and Yumi’s, which sells non-dairy and gluten-free dips and vegetarian snacks.

As well as the North Melbourne facility, Mauri has flour mills at Northam in Western Australia, Port Adelaide in South Australia, Enfield in Sydney and Yeerongpilly in Brisbane, plus three in New Zealand.

Flour produced at the mills under the Mauri banner is used to supply its bakeries, and its brands include Tip Top, Abbotts and Bürgen.

Through Weston Animal Nutrition, GWF is also a large-scale producer of stockfeed in Australia.

Source: Victorian Government