Our Company

Bega Cheese Limited … 100% Australian Owned

Bega Cheese Board of Directors

Barry Irvin (Chairman)
Max Roberts (Deputy Chairman)
Richard Parbery (Deputy Chairman)
Tom D'Arcy (Director)
Richard Platts (Director)

Mission

Bega Cheese – working together to deliver dairy products to the world.

Vision

Bega Cheese's vision is to be an Australian dairy industry icon; valuing our heritage, people, customers and community. Embracing challenge. Driving change. Building for the future.

Since 1899

Dairying started in the Bega Valley in the 1850s. In those days each farmer produced and sold cheese from his own dairy. In an effort to improve their individual production and marketing activities, local farmers banded together to establish The Bega Co-operative Creamery Company on July 15, 1899.

The Bega factory began production in 1900. As demand grew for the rich, creamy products made in the traditional way, successive expansion took place. Bega Cheese has been a dominant brand in the Australian market for over 30 years in both processed and natural cheddar cheese products, regularly selling around 50 million packs per year into the Australian domestic market.

Today, Bega Cheese continues to process and distribute the highest quality dairy products, to both Australian and international markets.

… Australia's Leading Cheese Brand

More than 50 million Bega branded products are sold throughout Australia each year. The popularity of Bega Cheese is due to the universally admired consistency in flavour, texture and taste. The quality of our products is often recognised by the many gold medals and blue ribbons won at Royal Agricultural shows and in annual Dairy Industry Association competitions.

Bega Cheese acquired a 70% stake in the Victorian-based dairy company, Tatura Milk Industries, in April 2007. Tatura Milk manufactures cream cheese, powders, infant formula and neutraceuticals. Chairman of Bega Cheese, Barry Irvin, is also Chairman of Tatura Milk Industries.

… Quality Control from Farm to Store

Twenty-five thousand dairy cows in the Bega Valley supply more than 135 million litres of milk each year. Holstein Friesians predominate, complemented by Jerseys, Illawarra Shorthorns, Brown Swiss and Guernseys.

In Bega, strict food safety standards and quality parameters are underscored by the HACCP system, both on farm and in the factory, and with tanker contractors. Quality assurance at Bega Cheese rests with the 640 employees in the cheese factory and the cutting and packaging plant. We consistently exceed the quality requirements of all relevant statutory and industry authorities, and we are regularly audited by the regulatory bodies, and our customers.

… Manufacturing Growth

The Bega factory began production in 1900. As demand grew for the rich, creamy products made in the traditional way, successive expansion took place.

Most recent developments included the installation of a state-of-the-art Alfomatic cheddaring machine, including in-line milk standardisation and upgraded milk separator capacity. This technology allows Bega Cheese to produce up to 20,000 tonnes of consistently high quality natural Bega cheese each year.

In recent years, new maturation cool rooms were built to mature 3,500 tonnes of cheese at precise temperatures and to required ageing levels. Mild cheese takes 3 months to mature, Tasty takes up to 9 months and Vintage, 15 to 24 months.

Bega Cheese has on site one of the most modern whey powder plants to process the considerable volume of liquid whey generated in cheese manufacture. Previously sprayed onto local farm pastures as a fertiliser, liquid whey is now converted into high value-added whey powder, for food grade consumption.

Take a virtual tour of the Bega Cheese factory.

… Cutting and Packaging Plant

So that Bega Cheese could meet ever increasing demand for Bega products, an investment of $50 million was made in the Bega Valley to install a new cheese processing, cutting and packaging plant.

The processing plant includes lines for individually wrapped processed cheese slices, slice on slice cheese and canned cheese.

The natural cheese cutting and packaging plant includes a high speed block cutting and packaging system, which is the latest and fastest technology available in the world. This plant also boasts the latest high speed natural cheese slicing technology, and contains equipment for the grating of cheese, flow wrapping, and vacuum packaging of cheese from 1kg to 10kg blocks, portion and Stringer packs. The Bega Cheese plant can produce packages of various sizes and shapes, in line with consumer demands for both export and domestic markets.

Our quality assurance system at Bega Cheese includes cheese grading, check weighing, metal detection and x-raying equipment on each individual packaging line.

The plant is equal to the best in the world in terms of capacity, hygiene and atmospheric control. The latest technology ensures a pharmaceutical standard is applied to cheese production and packaging.

… Supplying to the World

Through the cutting, packaging and processing plant, Bega Cheese has the potential to manufacture and distribute 20,000 tonnes of natural cheddar cheese and 40,000 tonnes of processed cheddar cheese each year. 30% of our production is destined for overseas markets in either retail, food service or bulk form.

Bega Cheese began exporting in 1995. Since that time, established markets for our products have been secured in all corners of the globe. Bega's own brand products, or the products we contract pack, can now be found in supermarkets all around the world – in fact in over 50 countries – meeting the expectations of the global marketplace, and sustaining a significant presence on the supermarket shelf. Click here for a list of selected distributors for various regions.

Bega Cheese services the full range of natural and processed cheddar cheese products, from retail packs to food service for restaurants and fast food outlets. All pack sizes are available for destinations around the world.

At Bega Cheese we tailor our products to the specific requirements of individual markets and customers, and ensure that we meet country importation regulations and legal compliance in all regions. And all our products are Halal accredited.

View Bega Cheese’s Environment Management Policy Statement, and statement in regard to Genetically Modified Status.

View Bega Cheese's Energy Efficiency Opportunities Program Report 2009