Meet the Finalists - ViPlus Dairy
Winners of the Excellence in Exporting Award last year, ViPlus Dairy are back in the finalist circle again in 2020, this time in a different category – Excellence in Food & Drink Manufacturing in a business with more than ten employees, sponsored by Dyers. The judges unanimously agreed that ViPlus continues to be a solid business in Gippsland from its manufacturing base of Toora, the southern corner of the region.
Meet the Finalists - Victoria Valley Meats
Victoria Valley Meats has expanded rapidly since setting up business at Trafalgar in the Baw Baw Shire in 2016. They’ve grown production by 200% and expanded their workforce from 20 to 110 employees. This has been achieved through a production plant extension to include a boning room as well as expanding their cold storage to enable processing from slaughter to box
Meet the Finalists - Jaydee - Cows Create Careers
Jaydee Events run several school-based education programs aimed at building an understanding of the food and fibre industry within young people. The content and activity are aimed towards getting the younger generations excited by a career in food and fibre; and driving a closer, lifelong connection to the food that feeds them. Their programs have connected with thousands of young people, spurring many of their participants on to pursue an agricultural career.
Meet the Finalists - Victoria Green
The name Victoria Green deservedly appears in two finalist lists for the 2020 Excellence in Agribusiness Awards: Young Agribusiness Leader of the Year and a new award for this year, Female Agribusiness Leader of the Year. Victoria has shown her courage and leadership ability in developing Bacchus Beef, a thriving micro enterprise selling packaged grass-fed beef at a premium price direct from a farm in Tonimbuk, in the Baw Baw Shire.
Meet the Finalists - Warragul Farmers Market
The spirit of the Warragul Farmers Market has always sparkled, but it has really shone a bright light throughout in 2020, giving Gippsland fresh food businesses a way to continue a vital connection to community and customers. The market always has and always will be a friendly, grounded way for people to connect with the producers, makers, and growers.
Meet the Finalists - Jill Noble - The Sheep Show Podcast
A human resources professional has turned to sheep farming in Gippsland, and has created an increasingly popular podcast along the way. Jill Noble’s “The Sheep Show Podcast” celebrates all things ovine", with each share of the podcast putting Gippsland and its farming capabilities on the map.
Meet the Finalists - Flavorite
Last year’s winner of the Gippsland Agribusiness of the Year is back on the finalists' list again in 2020, this year in the Excellence in Sustainability category, supported by Bass Coast Shire Council. Located in Warragul, Flavorite have implemented a range of sustainable practices that put them at the leading edge of glasshouse farming, not only in Gippsland and Australia but globally. The Millis and Nichols families have built and developed the operations from decades of experience and through international study travel to collaborate with growers and specialists around the world.
Meet the Finalists - Purely Goats Milk
When they switched from cow to goats milk, husband and wife team, Shelly and Trevor Gatt experienced a significant uplift in their health, so much so that they founded Purely Goats Milk, right in the middle of prime dairy country in Nilma, in the Baw Baw Shire. They call their 30-acre farm a little piece of paradise and the love and care they invest in their goat herd is evident, with their knowledge of small-scale farming sought after by fellow farmers all over the world.