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AUSTRALIAN MADE AUSSIE MADE ACCORDING TO CTC AUSTRALIA For CTC Australia, according to Marketing Manager & Designer Bernard Fauvette, Australian made means supporting local jobs and building up the community. “As a company, we make promise to source and produce only the highest quality product,” he said. “Because Australia produces some of the finest chocolates and gummies, we source them locally.” Mr Fauvette believes that “where possible, consumers seem to be seeking out local products”. “But the fact is,” he said, “Australia has relied heavily on imported goods for a long time, so locally made really isn’t an option for a whole lot of grocery items. Major retailers and manufacturers will need to change their behaviours in order to offer Australians more locally made products.” On a more positive note, Mr Fauvette says a lot of niche businesses are popping up with their own locally made products. “This should offer Australians with more choice,” he said. “Also, with export becoming a challenge, Australian producers will now have to turn to locals to help support their loss of export volume.” ROBERN MENZ ‘CHAMPIONS’ AUSSIE MADE CONFECTIONERY As a fourth generation Australian- owned family business, Robern Menz’ Aussie roots are at the core of the business. Marketing Manager Polly Love says Robern Menz is proud to have fans across the country that grew up with its treats and appreciate the deep nostalgia linked to these products. “We know and champion the importance of Australian made confectionery being on shelves for all Aussies to enjoy,” she said. “Our commitment to Australian made products is one of the contributing factors in our purchase of iconic Australian snack bar, Violet Crumble from Nestlé in 2018, as well as Polly Waffle in 2019.” From its experience, Robern Menz believes that Australians prefer the business to support Australian growers and producers, and that they have an increasing interest in the origins of their food. “For us, we have longstanding relationships with local and national suppliers; these are people that we trust and that play a crucial role in the quality of our products,” Ms Love said. “It’s been a tough couple of years for farmers in Australia and we continue to work with our partners to support them by creating supply chain processes and working relationships that safeguard business for the future.” Robern Menz is optimistic about the years to come. “More than ever, and no doubt after the year we have had, people are more aware of how their spending supports Australian businesses,” Ms Love said. “We believe that Australian made products will continue to grow in popularity and we look forward to delivering new and exciting products to Aussies across the country.” products to our shelves,” the retailer said. “Our high-volume, timely and consistent orders provide security for many local manufacturers. We have simplified our processes to make working with ALDI as easy and efficient as possible, empowering Australian suppliers to invest more time back into their businesses.” Ritchies also believes local to be a continuing growth market. “We would encourage suppliers to move towards more premiumisation,” Mr Harrison said. “There is no doubting that the market is shifting to customers wanting a higher quality of product and local manufacturers have a greater ability to tailor make a high-quality product than many of the mainstream offers.” On the back of the healthier for you trend, Mr Harrison says his business is seeing greater opportunities for more health-conscious products. “For example, we are now seeing a number of new plant-based snack potato chips which are a healthier option than mainstream potato chips,” he said. “Health is a growing category and there are definitely opportunities for local producers to step up.” From what Foodland saw in 2020, says Mr dos Santos, innovation, provenance, and sustainability appear to be key for the retailer’s South Australian brands. “\[Last year provided\] the opportunity for many local brands to consider their sustainability strategy and how they can innovate to meet new customer expectations for more planet friendly products,” he said. “In line with this, at Foodland we have also significantly revamped our sustainability strategy with a renewed focus on leading the way to tackle issues such as climate change and increasing local manufacturing. “In addition, provenance is beginning to play a key role in defining local. Which region a product is from can be a great driver of choice. As a result, we are starting to tailor our Foodland branded products to ensure which region of South Australia it is from is clearly visible.” Looking to the future, Mr Drake encourages local producers to approach his business with their home meal replacements and grab-and-go meals ranges. He says, “this is an area which we \[believe\] will continue to grow, especially local sourced products”. Mr Drake also expects gluten free, organic, and plant-based products to grow “substantially”. “I believe that with the impact of Covid-19,” he said, “we will see many consumers looking to buy more local and support Australian made and owned businesses.” JAN/FEB, 2021 CONVENIENCE WORLD 37