Balcatta-based Brownes has bought out its partner in its UK manufacturing plant, while also revealing the sale of the dairy business has been put on hold until next year.
WA's oldest and largest dairy company, Brownes, has been put up for sale after its Chinese owner got into financial difficulty over a $200 million loan.
The owner of WA's biggest dairy farm is placing his reputation and cash on the line to prove the potential of an autonomous and green production facility.
The parent company of major Western Australian dairy Brownes has recorded an increase in revenue and profitability for the past year, seemingly putting the pandemic and the loss of Woolworths contr
WA dairy company Brownes has been hit with two infringements after failing to comply with a code that requires it to disclose the details of milk supply agreements.
Brownes Dairy has moved back into the local cheddar cheese market, launching a WA-made range in an effort to appeal to consumers on this side of the Nullarbor.
The company behind Masters dairy products is moving from Japanese to Chinese ownership, after the dairy heavyweight behind the $1.5 billion bid for organic infant formula maker Bellamy's Australia agreed to acquire Lion Dairy & Drinks.
Brownes Dairy is chasing extra supplies for its expanded cheese factory in the state's South West and is believed to have approached the Lactanz cooperative and two farmers who were told last year their milk wasn't needed.
Australian businesses can be confident that strong personal relationships with their partners in China can help overcome any short-term problems between the governments of the two countries, according to two local business executives with close ties to the Asian powerhouse.
Western Australia's three largest dairy producers are now under foreign ownership, after Brownes was sold to a consortium of investors that includes Chinese dairy operator Shanghai Ground Food.
Dairy producer Brownes has become the first local company to manufacture yoghurt pouches as part of an ambitious plan to usurp Yoplait as Western Australia's highest selling yoghurt maker.
SPECIAL REPORT: A flurry of deals over the past fortnight, including four acquisitions by international companies expanding in Western Australia and the year's largest capital raising, has added life to a flat corporate finance market.
THE launch this month of independent oil and gas producer Quadrant Energy has underlined the big role private equity investors play in Western Australia, owning more than a dozen major businesses a
Demand for Western Australian agricultural property assets is expected to run hot throughout 2015, with offshore buyers not expected to be deterred by new rules for foreign investment in farmland.
Brownes Dairy managing director Ben Purcell has resigned.Mr Purcell was a 2013 Business News 40under40 award recipient.The company has not yet announced a replacement.
Property transactions in the agribusiness sector are heating up, with considerable activity in the first six months of 2014, according to Colliers International.
Western Australia-based Brownes Dairy's head office, processing and distribution centre in Balcatta has been bought by national developer Stockland, in a deal worth $53.5 million.
Beverages giant Lion has confirmed about a third of workers at its Bentley milk processing plant will lose their jobs after the company was dumped as Woolworths' milk supplier in Western Australia for rival Brownes.
A shake-up in Western Australia's dairy industry may be set to deliver for local stakeholders, but the broader sector is unimpressed with free trade commitments made with South Korea and Japan.
PRIVATE equity group Archer Capital has emerged rapidly this year to become one of the largest investors in Western Australia, following its purchase of the company behind the Chicken Treat and Red Rooster fast food chains.
DairyWest has added premium yoghurt producer West N Fresh to its investment portfolio, after it today announced the completion of its purchase of Brownes.
New Zealand-based Fonterra has completed the break up of WA business Peters & Brownes, selling Brownes to private equity investment firm Archer Capital, following last year's sale of Peters to Nestle.
The food industry has questioned the effectiveness of the Department of Agriculture and Food's latest marketing campaign to encourage consumers to buy locally made products.
An $8 million upgrade to Peters & Brownes Group's Balcatta production facility is already paying dividends for the group, helping the dairy giant secure a major deal to supply super premium ice-cream to Japan.
PB Foods, the parent of dairy manufacturer Peters & Brownes, has agreed to invest $7 million to expand production of super premium ice cream for the Japanese market.
