Australia’s leading cold pressed oil manufacturer Plenty Foods will receive funding of up to $200,000 from the Queensland Government’s Rural Economic Development (RED) Grants scheme to help Australia meet a growing demand for peanut oil.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the investment will help reduce Australia’s reliance on the imported product.
“The more we can support Queensland businesses and the more they can grow and manufacture, ensuring dollars earned on home soil are dollars spent on home soil,” Mr Furner said.
“Investments like this are critical to not only local communities, but the wider Queensland economy.
“This project alone will add eight new long-term, full-time good jobs in the South Burnett.”
Plenty Foods Managing Director Joshua Gadischke said increased demand for peanut oil has put pressure on their existing filing lines and staff.
“We simply need to increase our output capacity or risk losing contracts to interstate and overseas suppliers,” Mr Gadischke said.
“The additional demand for peanut oil will allow Plenty Foods to acquire peanuts that have traditionally been treated as ‘waste’ and have been discarded by local growers.
“We will now be able to acquire the ‘waste’ product and turn it into a food-grade cooking oil of high standard. The entire process greatly reduces waste and food miles, creating a real value-add for local growers.”
“The project will be made up of various items of plant and equipment so that we can maintain the entire bottling line solution for 750ml bottles used in the bottling of refined peanut cooking oil.
