Leading Australian fresh produce company Montague has unveiled plans for a new state-of-the-art packing and export distribution centre.
The 18,000m2 Narre Warren North facility will manage end-to-end export logistics services including packing, palletising, pre-cooling, inspections, documentation, container loading and freight forwarding.
Montague’s general manager business development, Rowan Little, said the project would allow the company to double its packing capacity and dramatically increase its annual export sales of apples, pears and stonefruit.
“The introduction of the new production and distribution facility will introduce Australian first packing and storage technologies for the fruit packing industry,” Little explained.
The A$26m project has been made possible with assistance from the Victorian Government’s Food Source Victoria programme.
Montague leads a value chain alliance with 45 apple and stone fruit growers located across Gippsland, Goulburn Valley, Harcourt, Mornington Peninsula, Swan Hill and Yarra Valley who will supply the export distribution centre.
“We are thrilled to have support from the Food Source Victoria program, our network of growers and distributor partners,” Little added.
The project will create 13 regional jobs within Montague’s key partner growers.
