Brownes

OVERALL
Owned	CHN
Rating

Dairy and juice producers

Est 1886. Brownes is the largest buyer of farmgate milk in Western Australia, collecting and processing approximately 40% of the state's milk production. The business operates two manufacturing plants in Balcatta (Perth) and Brunswick and has WA's most extensive chilled distribution network. In 2011 Australian private equity firm Archer Capital acquired Brownes, and sold it to a Chinese consortium led by dairy manufacturer Shanghai Ground Food Tech in 2017.

Company Ownership

Brownes Foods Operations Pty Ltd	AUS	website		facebook	twitter
Shanghai Ground Food Tech Co Ltd       owns 100% of Brownes Foods Operations Pty Ltd	CHN	website
Dairy, mining and manufacturing Founded 1988. Primarily involved in dairy, the company is also engaged in mining and manufacturing in China. Acquired WA's Brownes Dairy from Australian private equity firm Archer Capital in Nov 2017.

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PRAISE	CRITICISM	INFORMATION
Brownes Foods Operations Pty Ltd
Australian Packaging Covenant signatory Signatory to the Australian Packaging Covenant, a voluntary agreement to encourage waste minimisation. Source: Australian Packaging Covenant (2020)	Fined for pollution In 2014 this company was fined $100,000 by the Bunbury Magistrates Court over a major milk spill from its Brunswick processing facility into a nearby waterway in November 2011. 140,000 litres of milk spilt from a silo resulting in fish deaths and creek water not being able to be used for 4 weeks. The company spent $387,000 on cleaning up and admitted not conducting recommended maintenance checks. Source: ABC (2014)	Contract penalties The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) will scrutinise very carefully new contracts being issued by this company to their milk suppliers. The new contracts carry penalties for undersupplying milk. This is 12 months after the company refused to renew 4 supplier contracts due to oversupply and some farmers claimed that they were intimidated. Source: ABC (2017) Unfair milk supply agreements This company was one of five major dairy processors that agreed to amend its milk supply agreements after The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) found them to be unfair. The ACCC said it had raised concerns with some processors about lengthy notice periods for farmers to terminate their contracts, one-sided termination rights, broad indemnities, and terms that restrict a farmer's ability to lease a farm or sell their cattle. Source: ACCC (2018)
Shanghai Ground Food Tech Co Ltd
No assessment data currently available for Shanghai Ground Food Tech Co Ltd

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