Mungalli Creek Dairy has opened up a new $3 million processing plant, supported by the Queensland government’s $175 million Jobs and Regional Growth Fund.
Mungalli Creek Dairy CEO Robert Watson said the new facility’s modern and efficient equipment will increase productivity and allow the business to grow market share and become export compliant.
“I hope the expansion and modernisation of our processing facility gives confidence to other businesses in the region and will encourage them to innovate and respond to opportunities in increasingly diverse consumer tastes,” Watson said.
Minister for State Development and Manufacturing Cameron Dick said new jobs created will be across the business, including farming, processing, maintenance, management, accounting and sales.
“Projects like Mungalli Creek Dairy’s new processing plant unlock valuable opportunities in our regions, creating stronger and more diversified local economies, which in turn delivers more jobs to regional Queensland.”
The recently completed facility near Millaa Millaa, south-west of Cairns, will also create around 24 new jobs, cementing Mungalli Creek Dairy’s position as the largest employer in the rural community.
Mungalli Creek Dairy is Queensland’s only paddock-to-plate biodynamic dairy, using an enhanced form of organic and regenerative farming that requires no fertilisers, pesticides or antibiotics to maintain the quality of their land.
The dairy farm was established in 2000 and is the largest employer in Millaa Millaa, with more than 60 staff helping to process almost four million litres of milk per year.