South Coast Dairy’s run of success has continued, being a finalist in the Australian Grand Dairy Awards.
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The company was one of three finalists in the milk section alongside Farmers Own and Maleny Dairies at the awards ceremony in Melbourne.
South Coast Dairy was a finalist for its non-homogenised milk.
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To qualify for the national awards entrants must have won gold at the Sydney Royal or the Dairy Industry Association of Australia awards.
Berry Rural Co-operative Society Limited general manager Kara Duncan, who produces South Coast Dairy said it was a huge honour.
“Considering our non-homogenised milk is a new line the company only introduced in 2017, it is fantastic,” she said.
“To be considered in the top three milks in the country is great.
Mrs Duncan said it was really humbling experience.
“To be standing up there next to a couple, who you could see they had poured everything into their business, Pure Gelato, and they ended up winning champion dairy gelato and people's choice and see the delight in face was fantastic,” she said.
“When you think back what our suppliers have done with South Coast Dairy, we were in that position but they are smaller than we were and to see their delight in winning and going through those things only encourages us more to keep doing better things.
“We also want to say thanks to everyone who has got behind and supported us, all those who stock our products and, of course, our hardworking producers and staff,”
Chairman John Miller, who has been with the project since day one reiterated the comments.
“The recognition and success of the company is really humbling,” he said.
“We had a dream of getting our milk bottled and supplying maybe the local Berry area and to see it spread right up and down the South Coast and into Sydney and now across the state with Harris Farms is fantastic.
“To win the awards and compete against the best of best and come up trumps is really gratifying and a tribute to the whole team that puts in from the producers right through to the processing and marketing.
“It has been a long process, we have kept persisting and got to the point got the where we got the factory opened and we are now getting great results.
“It has been a dream fulfilled, and we are looking for bigger and better things.”
South Coast Dairy started in 2005, constructing its own processing plant in Berry and started processing in June 2016.
The company now employs 20 people in its operation.
And there are lots of exciting new product lines set to come online in coming months, including flavoured milk.
“We will be releasing coffee, strawberry and chocolate flavoured milk,” Mrs Duncan said.
“But it will be a bit different, low in sugar and made with full cream milk.”
The company also hopes to bring to market butter, a project for which it received federal government funding.
The plant processes around 50,000 litres per week and not only produces South Coast Milk but also processes Harris Farm’s Jersey Pure Pastures range.