Golden Circle

Golden Circle is a major Australian food-processing company, based in Brisbane, Queensland.

Beginnings

It was formed in 1947, when the canning factory at Northgate was constructed. Originally the company was called Queensland Tropical Fruit Products, with Golden Circle as their brand name.

Initially, the company processed and canned [pineapples]] and produced fruit jams. Over the years, production has expanded to include other canned fruit and vegetables, fruit cordials, juices, carbonated beverages and baby food.

Golden Circle began operations on a 16.5 ha site in Brisbane in 1947, with the opening conducted by the then Premier of Queensland, the Hon EM Hanlon. Golden Circle's main factory is at Northgate, a northern suburb of Brisbane. Golden Circle also owns the Original Juice Co. plant at Mill Park, on Melbourne's northern outskirts, and a fresh fruit packing operation in Griffith, NSW. Sales offices are located in every Australian state and New Zealand.

Golden Circle employs a large number of people, varying seasonally between 700 and 1700.

Golden Circle is an unlisted public company owned by 700 Australian farmers. These farmers, plus others, supply more than 180,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables a year to the factory for processing. The fruit crops, of which pineapple is the largest, come from the Sunshine Coast hinterland, Maryborough, Yeppoon and further north and the vegetables largely from the Lockyer Valley region, south-west of Brisbane. Crops not grown in Queensland are sourced from southern states.

Products

Golden Circle manufactures more than 800 products including shelf stable fruit and vegetables (in cans and glass jars), fruit juices, cordials, soft drinks, jams, conserves and baby food. Pineapple now only accounts for 20% of its product range.

The company operates the world's largest steam peeler and new beetroot processing lines, a $20m food hall enabling a move into development of new products such as baby food, a tetra brik plant that produces more than 42 million litres/year of fruit juices and drinks. It also has a robotic blow-moulding facility capable of producing 50 million plastic cordial and other beverage bottles every year.

Australia is the principal market for Golden Circle products, but it also exports to New Zealand and other Pacific countries.

External Links

http://www.goldencircle.com.au/