Coles has awarded grants of up to $500,000 to nine small and medium sized businesses to implement plans to drive sustainability and innovation.
The latest grants bring the total financial support awarded through the Coles Nurture Fund to more than $36 million across 108 businesses since the funding initiative was established in 2015.
Coles Group Chief Commercial Officer Anna Croft says the Round 12 recipients were chosen for their industry-leading and high-impact projects, that will achieve impressive sustainability goals to reduce waste, enhance animal welfare, and reduce their carbon footprint.
“We are proud to be able to award more than $3.7 million to nine Aussie small and medium sized businesses – located across Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania and Western Australia – as part of the latest round of the Coles Nurture Fund,” she says.
“I am excited to watch all of the recipients bring to life their incredible ideas in their respective industries – demonstrating they are leading the way when it comes to innovation and sustainability.”
Coles Ambassador and Nurture Fund judging panelist Curtis Stone says this year’s nine recipients were an impressive example of Aussie businesses who are driving positive change across a diverse range of industries.
“I am blown away by the wonderful list of applicants for Coles Nurture Fund for Round 12, and the nine successful businesses are extremely worthy recipients,” he says.
“It’s so fulfilling to know Coles will be granting close to $3.7 million to assist these amazing suppliers – to help them to make changes that drive sustainability and reduce emissions and waste at a time when many businesses are feeling the pinch.”
Recipients
- Indigenous family-owned business Beachtree Distilling Co. was awarded $380,000 for its Re-spirits project, transforming local and Indigenous waste from jam, spreads and cheese production into flavourful spirits.
- Avocado farm Prada Farms will use a grant of $461,000 to transition to a fully electric harvesting system that is charged by renewable energy.
- Bulla Mushrooms was awarded $490,000 to create a zero-waste mushroom facility which will capture excess mushrooms grown on the farm and turn them into dehydrated high-quality products that would otherwise be imported from overseas.
- White Cloud Farms will use a grant of $400,000 to create a blueberry growing system that is sustainable for both the crop and the land.
- Emu Hill Pastoral was awarded $500,000 to create a highly innovative, sustainable and resilient water system by desalinating underground water.
- Hillcroft Farms will use a grant of $500,000 to construct a 600kW ground molded solar farm next to its feed mill and piggery site to provide energy to the only on-farm piggery feed mill.
- Rocky Ridge Brewing Co was awarded $400,000 to fast track their ambitious net zero emissions target to be the first net zero, certified sustainable brewery in the Australian and the Asia Pacific Region.
- Queensland Bottlers will use a grant of $500,000 to become the first Australian spring water manufacturer to use multi-layer blow molding technology in bulk water.
- Burbury Ag was awarded $85,821 to design and build an efficient and innovative bulk sheep handling system that is easily transportable and can attach to any sheep infrastructure.