A new bottling plant in the Sunshine Coast hinterland has created more than 24 direct and indirect jobs thanks to grant funding from the State Government.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said Kenilworth Dairies was one of 43 businesses in Queensland to receive a Rural Economic Development (RED) Grant to help fund the expansion of their business.
“Kenilworth Dairies is a well-known local dairy producer in the Sunshine Coast area with a strong reputation for producing high-quality dairy products,” he said.
“The government’s RED Grant offered a $250,000 co-contribution to purchase equipment to pasteurise their milk as well as set up a laboratory to monitor their products for quality and safety purposes.
“Five people were employed to build the new plant and now that it’s complete, another 24 locals will get ongoing work here at the dairy.”
Owner John Cochrane said the new bottling plant has helped make Kenilworth Dairies a completely independent local dairy provider.
“With the help of this RED grant we are able to process 12,000 litres of milk each day and deliver products like milk, cheese, mousse and ice cream across southeast Queensland,” Mr Cochrane said.
Member for Nicklin Rob Skelton said the Palaszczuk Government is backing agribusiness to aid Queensland in its post-COVID economic recovery.
“By supporting businesses like Kenilworth Dairies, we’re giving them the confidence to invest and importantly that leads to more jobs in the local community,” he said.
“Through the Market Diversification and Resilience Grants and our $12.5 million agriculture industry package, the Palaszczuk Government is helping farmers and fishers find new export markets, develop new products and improve biosecurity along the supply chain.”
