Please note: this is an old article
It was published in September 2013, so the information may be out-of-date.
With an industry on the brink of collapsing, a group of retrenched Girgarre Heinz workers got together to start a Food Cooperative which would defy all odds and produce pasta and sauce products.
In May 2011, employees within Girgarre Heinz were advised that the plant would close down in 6 months which sent a shockwave throughout the small community. There was an understandable mix of shock and despair in those first days after it was announced that the plant would cease operation.
The newly announced retrenched employees were in an ordinary predicament, until the passion and commitments of a group of people led to an idea of purchasing the factory as a community and keep it operating as a going concern.
The initiative of purchasing the factory quickly built momentum until a collective offer of $750,000 was rejected by Heinz. Although faced with rejection, the group chose to fight on and decided that they would now build their own factory. Just when the new initiative of constructing a factory started to gain momentum, the Banksia Financial Group collapsed impacting many locals within the region. This disappointing announcement ultimately eliminated any chance of generating the funds required to build a factory in the short term.
The concept of developing pasta and sauce product from Australian made products soon came to fruition and was officially launched on the July 18th and was on the shelves in 20 Goulburn Valley Outlets in Brunswick and Sydney. This action should be seen as a beacon of hope for the community and the members of this Co Operative should be recognised for their dedication and hard work to get this venture off the ground when the odds were against them.