Craig Mostyn Group Buys GWF Fresh Pork Business
Craig Mostyn Group, an 85 year old Australian privately owned food and agribusiness company headquartered in Fremantle, Western Australia, has bought the fresh pork business of George Weston Foods/Watsons Foods.
Announcing the acquisition, CMG Chief Executive, David Lock, said the investment would further strengthen CMG’s commitment to its PPC/Linley Valley Fresh brand.
“We are 100 per cent committed to our fresh pork business, with all our pork sourced from WA producers.
“When offered the opportunity to add further certainty and strength to the WA industry, we commenced negotiations and a lengthy due diligence process.
“I’m delighted this has now culminated in our purchase of the fresh pork assets and business of George Weston Foods/Watsons Foods, which had already announced in July that it would be closing its smallgoods operation in Spearwood,” Mr Lock said.
From November 7, 2008, CMG will own and manage GWF’s 4000 sow piggery ‘Wandalup Farms’ and its production contracts with grow-out units around the state, plus some plant and equipment from Spearwood.
CMG hopes to also enjoy the support of existing GWF fresh pork customers, including supermarkets, who would now be supplied with Linley Valley Fresh pork.
“We’d hope to receive support from all retailers and supermarkets currently doing fresh pork business with GWF,” he said.
Mr Lock confirmed that CMG would offer positions to GWF staff at Wandalup and call for expressions of interest from staff at Spearwood.
“We see this as, effectively, an integration, which will grow our business, while improving opportunities for existing staff and the new staff we welcome into CMG.”
Strategically, the acquisition would give CMG greater certainty of supply of pigs and therefore greater certainty of supply of fresh pork to domestic and export customers.
With an annual throughput of about 600,000 pigs, PPC/Linley Valley processes 98 per cent of WA’s pigs, is WA’s only export abattoir and is one of Australia’s major exporters of fresh pork into south-east Asia.
Last year CMG invested several million dollars upgrading the boning line to state-of-the-art, with the capacity for full traceability of product from farm to customer and this year has invested in farm production units.
All Linley Valley Fresh pork is sourced from pigs raised on quality assured WA farms and fed on premium WA grown grain.
Monitored from paddock to plate to ensure only the highest quality, Linley Valley Fresh pork, including free range and organic, is grown in one of the world’s cleanest and greenest food ‘bowls’.
PPC Linley Valley works is located at Wooroloo in the Darling Range, 40 minutes drive east of Perth and is accredited with AQIS, AUSMeat, HACCP and NASAA.
3-Nov-2008