A Guide to the Best Australian Natural Food Products and Their Benefits

Murray River Organics is an Australian grower, processor, manufacturer and seller of organic and better-for-you food products. Its customers include domestic retail, wholesale and industrial customers as well as export channels across Asia and Europe.

Innovation is a key factor in growth and expansion. It helps companies stay ahead of their competitors by introducing new goods and services. It also helps them develop customer loyalty and boost sales (DuBrin, 2013).

Grower

The McIntosh family’s farm is a model of integrated sustainable production and they are committed to making organic, healthy food choices a reality for Australian consumers. They have a strong emphasis on soil health and water management, working closely with the natural environment to minimise their impact on the land.

The company has recently expanded its branded range with the launch of a plant-based line of products. It worked with design agency What Came Next and Melbourne-based RollsPack to develop the packaging for the new range, which features metallic finishes and bold colours.

Murray River Organics is a producer, marketer, manufacturer, and seller of organic and better-for-you food products. The company offers dried vine fruits, nuts, seeds, berries, and ginger. It serves customers worldwide. The ASX-listed company is based in Mildura, Australia. Valentina Tripp has extensive experience in the FMCG, agribusiness, and retail industry. She has led transformation, strategy, customer growth, supply chain, operational, and financial turnarounds.

Processor

Murray River Organics Group Limited produces, markets, manufactures, and sells organic food products. The Company offers grapes, nuts and chia seeds, dried vine fruits, ginger, and berries. The Company serves customers worldwide.

Having sold its dried vine fruit processing assets in NSW, the loss-making company has now shifted away from its farming operations to focus on its branded, value-added retail products – fruit and nut snacks and cereals – sold into supermarket chains such as Woolworths and IGA. The move was a key strategy under recently installed CEO Birol Akdogan.

MRO’s shelf-stable organic ingredients include sultanas, currants, sun muscat raisins and other dried vine fruits. Those ingredients are then processed into a range of finished products including cooking oils, cereals, snacks and baked goods. MRO’s products can be found in major supermarkets across Australia. The company is also a leading exporter of organic sultanas. Its processing facility in Mildura is a vital cog in the regional economy, employing more than 200 people.

Manufacturer

With a core belief that choice matters, Murray River Organics is a crusader for unified change. They use their status as Australia’s largest producer of organic dried vine fruit to propel a shift towards choosing organic every time. Their range of pantry staples are made with Australian oats and Certified Organic ingredients from around the world to create mouth-watering muesli blends that taste amazing, are good for you, and are sourced without chemical additives.

The Company grows and produces shelf-stable organic ingredients including sultanas, currants, muscat raisins, and more across their farms in the Sunraysia region. Its products are sold in supermarkets across Australia. Its products include dried fruit, nuts, chia seeds, and berries. It was founded in 2010.

Retailer

The Australian company grows, markets, manufactures, and sells organic ingredients including sultanas, currants, and sun muscat raisins. Its products are stocked in major supermarkets and online retailers throughout the country.

Last month Murray River Organics CEO Birol Akdogan spruiked good times ahead as the Company embarked on a turnaround strategy focused on their branded, better-for-you retail range that has already secured strong distribution into Woolworths. He had hoped to shift the Company away from its farming operations to re-capitalise on their Dandenong food production facility and international customer sales opportunities.

But it seems the plan is now on hold after MRO announced that KPMG and Grant Thornton Australia have been appointed “joint voluntary administrators” of the MRO group of companies on 9 February. That’s nine days after the Company’s AGM and after a failure to attract expressions of interest under a strategic option put forward by Lion Advisory. This means the Company will now have to seek buyers for its assets, undertakings, and operations.