Tasmanian Quality Meats is the Regional Exporter Award winner for 2013. A regional exporting success story, this company has gone from having no direct export sales in the 2011 financial year to approximately $12 million in export sales in 2013.
The company’s investment in infrastructure, and a commitment to innovation, research and consultation, have all played a part in this success.
Established fifteen years ago and based just outside the small town of Cressy, near Launceston, Tasmanian Quality Meats has more than tripled the number of people it now employs because of its export success and is now a major employer in the region.
Tasmanian Quality Meats processes quality lamb, mutton and veal. Recently, with the help of Meat & Livestock Australia, the company researched rapidly growing markets in the Middle East – markets which have been traditionally difficult to access. As a consequence, a number of products, including frozen mutton, frozen veal, frozen lamb and offal, are now processed in accordance with halal requirements and can be sold as halal in markets such as Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The Australian Export Award judges commented that Tasmanian Quality Meats has shown a solid understanding of different customer needs and has tailored its products accordingly, adding that the company’s change of direction to become a direct exporter is a major milestone and to be congratulated.
Clearly a regional success story, the company adds to local prosperity, the judges said, noting that Tasmanian Quality Meats’ emphasis on building employment is very commendable and a ‘fantastic’ story which illustrates the benefits that exporting can bring to local communities.
For more information about Tasmanian Quality Meats, go to www.tasmanianqualitymeats.com