Fine Food Holdings launched its new facility on Tuesday, where CEO Todd Wilson spoke about his “experience with space, which enables a company to be daring and creative with NPD”.
And FFH’s new 12,500sqm custom-designed manufacturing facility in Dandenong South, Melbourne, will most certainly enable the company to be daring and creative with NPD, which Mr Wilson says “is in our DNA”.
Already Mr Todd says he’s reasonably confident that the $10,000 facility, which doubles capacity and provides work to 250 people, will offer up the largest and most diverse range of crackers in the Southern Hemisphere when complete at the end of September.
“When up and running it will manufacture six distinctive product types, and eight production lines will be commissioned within the next few months,” Mr Todd said at the launch.
“At capacity within the next four to five months it will produce 250,000 crackers every hour.”
In addition to capacity, Mr Wilson attributes the company’s success to its strong focus on building retail partnerships and understanding the demands of consumers.
Gourmet Food Group: the ‘entertaining’ specialists
Following the success of MaxFoods and its Ocean Blue seafood brand, an importing food business launched in 2009, the business owners identified an opportunity to diversify from seafood entertaining to the ‘entertaining’ deli cracker market.
From the outset, FFH, a division of Gourmet Food Group, sought to manufacture not only premium quality deli crackers but ones that led through innovation, creativity and flavour. Production began in Keysborough in early 2015 with brand OB Finest soon taking off.
Recognition followed with FFH ranked as the top supplier for 2018 in the Australian grocery deli category of Advantage Report.
Set for success
The OB Finest range has a selection on offer from Wafer Crackers to various varieties of specialty crackers such as Cranberry & Pumpkin Seed and Fig & Almond. Recently Parmesan Crisps and 3 Seed Crisps were added, with more set for release in October.
Mr Wilson sees the company actualising through the development of additional products while pursuing entry into new entertaining categories via acquisition and tapping into new markets.
“Just as the opening of Dandenong South manufacturing facilities brings assured optimism around future growth and success, the Gourmet Food Group mantle enables a more expansive strategic focus,” Mr Todd commented.