Buderim Ginger has taken out this year's Queensland Icon of Industry Award at a gala evening presented by the Ai Group attended by 400 business and government leaders in Brisbane.
The prestigious Icon of Industry Award recognises the contribution of an individual company to Queensland’s long-term economic growth.
From humble beginnings dating back to WWI, Buderim Ginger has, through technical innovation, quality control and reliable supply chains, become an export-success story and has achieved a rarity for an Australian company: domination of a global industry.
The company commenced a strategic diversification program in 2004 through the formation of the Buderim Baking Company at Kunda Park on the Sunshine Coast, which produces premium savoury pastry products for prominent national retailers.
It has continued to diversify its food manufacturing businesses and is now arguably the world’s leading processor and marketer of macadamia nuts following the acquisition of major macadamia processing facilities in Northern New South Wales and Hawaii in 2007 and 2008.
The company expects its annual group revenue in 2009 to exceed $100 million.
“In a day and age where some of Australia’s most well-known brands and companies are being taken over by foreigners, or manufacturing being moved off-shore, we are proud that we remain Australian-owned and our manufacturing stays in Australia," Buderim Ginger's chairman, John Ruscoe said.
“We have been able to do this through innovation and working with our growers and other suppliers to ensure that they too can survive and prosper."
Across each business division, Buderim Ginger now employs over 450 people, and many hundreds more indirectly through its manufacturing operations.
On the Sunshine Coast, the Company employs 250 people at its ginger and baking operations, and supports many hundreds of permanent and seasonal workers through farming.
The value of Buderim Ginger’s contribution to the local economy is significant; the company purchases up to 5,000 tonnes of raw ginger per annum from farms located from Bundaberg to Caboolture, 4,000 tonnes of Queensland sugar and around 2,000 tonnes of Queensland-grown macadamia nuts.
As a fully integrated manufacturing and tourism facility, Buderim Ginger is also considered to be one of the country’s pioneers in successfully combining food manufacturing with tourism.
While now a public company listed on the ASX, Buderim Ginger Limited retains its strong links to Queensland’s heritage and to the local communities that have supported it.
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