Big plans from new owners of famous King Island Dairy brand after near closure

ABC NEWS (Australia)

When the Canadian owner of King Island Dairy announced it was closing the famous cheese brand last year, the island's 1,600 residents were devastated. At the last minute, two Australian businessmen stepped in and bought it, with big plans for the future.

Transcript

00:01King Island's roaring 40s weather, isolation, small population and reliance on shipping

00:09makes it a tough place to be a food manufacturer.

00:14Instead of being put off though, Victorian Graham Wilson saw opportunity.

00:20Now to King Islanders, he's a hero, for he's one of the two men who in March

00:25saved their beloved cheese factory from closing.

00:29What I like is brands, I like iconic brands even if they've gone a bit sad.

00:34Graham, the owner of Australia's largest manufacturer of plastic pots and containers for the horticultural industry

00:41has bought and fixed well-known companies before.

00:45It's easier, he says, to restore a tired brand than to create one.

00:50The King Island brand is a well-known brand, it's a great product, that hasn't gone sour

00:57and I thought, well I'll grab that before it does go sour, so I don't have to spend so much money to bring it up again.

01:03It's been on the supermarket shelves for years, it's one of their top brands, so a lot of that work's already done.

01:09It was a bit of a no-brainer in that regard.

01:11Graham's business partner is former merchant banker Nick Dobromilski, a whiz at numbers and doing deals.

01:18Is it an act of philanthropy or are you guys intending to make money from this business?

01:24No, I'm not a philanthropist, we bought it to make money of course, you know.

01:29It's going to be a bit long term for us, but yeah, ultimately if the business doesn't make money, it's not a business.

01:41For 40 years, cheese has given the island jobs and a reputation for premium produce.

01:47The island's biggest employer, it makes the most awarded cheese in Australia.

01:54Mayor Marcus Blackie says it's part of the island's identity.

01:58We're immensely proud of our cheese.

02:00It's the brand that really made us a household name around Australia.

02:05Canadian dairy giant Saputo bought it from Japanese multinational Kirin in 2019.

02:12But last year Saputo announced after failing to find a buyer, it was closing the operation.

02:19Nick Dobromilski isn't fazed, multinational owners couldn't make the business work.

02:25It's a niche brand and it probably needs that niche care.

02:30It's going to get some love again, so I feel very proud and responsible.

02:35But yeah, I share that responsibility with everyone.

02:42you

Category

Transcript

Recommended