Business owners are urged to enjoy a taste of the benefits of a new food and beverage manufacturing centre set to open in the Peel region this Friday.
The Sustainable, Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre is opening in the Food Innovation Precinct of WA (FIPWA) at the Peel Business Park to give businesses without access to large-scale production equipment the ability to produce food products at a commercial rate.
Businesses can test, develop and produce new and improved food products to assess market demand and find buyers in a low-risk environment before investing in long-term large-scale production and equipment.
The State Government and the Shire of Murray partnered to provide $3.8m to kick-start operations at the Centre.
WA food and beverage business owners can access grants of up to $600,000, provided on a dollar-for-dollar basis.
FIPWA will then become available to commercialise a product, research and develop it, or use its brand-new manufacturing equipment.
The facility is also home to a high-pressure processing unit — which is one of only two in the State — used for cold pasteurisation of foods.
The unit can extend the shelf life of products while preserving natural nutrition and flavour.
Agriculture and Food Minister Jackie Jarvis said the centre would help remove some financial risk for small business owners.
“The SIFT Centre is projected to grow the State’s local value-added industry, create more than 150 direct jobs and inject around $100 million into the economy,” she said.
Regional Development Minister Don Punch said he had already seen the success of the centre’s projects.
“This includes Spinifex Brewing Co’s canning line, which received a $150,000 Regional Economic Development grant in 2021 and is driving an increase in packaged beer sales in domestic and export markets,” he said.
“I strongly encourage all interested agri-businesses to access the Enterprise Support Program grants program, which also provides an opportunity to explore new product opportunities and access manufacturing equipment.”