Pure Foods Tasmania managing director Michael Cooper talks about leading a company with an aggressive growth strategy, the stratospheric rise of plant-based foods and more

Food & Drink Business editor Kim Berry is joined by the managing director of Pure Foods Tasmania, Michael Cooper. From licking the stickers for bottles of juice in his family’s juice business as a kid, Michael is now leading a company with plans to be a $100 million company in five years.

We discuss the company’s growth through acquisitions and capital raising, the fact that plant-based foods are the fastest growing food and beverage category and that plant-based cheeses are leading the charge.

Michael reviews the company’s exports into Asia and working with a Singapore based ecommerce group along with a look at how the younger generation are engaging with plant-based foods much more so than adults. We discuss how kids want to know the provenance and traceability of their foods along with how food safety regulations and certifications are struggling to keep up with the market’s developments.

COVID -19 inevitably comes up and we learn that it has fuelled demand for the company’s products so much that it has brought their growth and development plans forward significantly. This leads to a discussion of consumer trends, the use of technology to confirm the safety to the consumer of shipped foods and the Health Star Ratings of fresh juice.

Michael explains how the company’s incubation fund was established and the benefits that have already been achieved. He also talks about their Monde Nissin distribution arrangement then hints at a future with beverages but we’ll have to wait for a future episode to learn more about that.

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MC: Grant McHerron

Host: Kim Berry

Editor: Chris Visscher

Producer: Steve Visscher

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