This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Australian Export Awards, an annual celebration and recognition of the achievements of Australia’s leading exporters, showcasing their sustainable growth through innovation and commitment. Sarkis Khoury from Austrade writes.
1960s – Australian Export Awards are born
The awards were created by the Export Development Council, which wanted to recognise Australian businesses having outstanding export success.
By the mid-1960s, Australia’s economy was going from strength to strength. With the credit squeezes of the early 1960s behind us, reduced interest rates and relaxed restrictions saw a major rise in imports. The decade also saw the start of Australia’s mining boom.
SunRice: Australian Export Award Winner, 1969
SunRice is a major player in the global food market, with leading brands in Australia, New Zealand, the Asia-Pacific, US, and Middle East. It employs more than 2000 people around the world, has more than 35 brands internationally, and distributes around 1100 products to 50 countries.
SunRice Group CEO Rob Gordon says the company has been on a “significant journey” since its first award in 1969.
“Back then, the company was very much focused on processing and marketing the Australian rice crop in premium markets. Now, we are a truly global food group,” Gordon says.
“Winning the awards was a major achievement. It saw us recognised alongside some of the best exporters in the country
and provided important validation that we were on the right track,” says Gordon.
In November 1963, the inaugural Australian Export Awards was held in Canberra. Since then, 1990 Australian businesses have been recognised and 744 awarded a category trophy, among them notable food and beverage exporters.
Presented by the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this year’s awards will again showcase successful Australian export businesses across 13categories. The Australian Exporter of the Year is then chosen from the category winners.
In 2002, a Hall of Fame award was established to highlight exporters who win their respective category three times. To date, there have been 14 inductees.
One of the first to be inducted was Hardys (formerly BRL Hardy Wine and now part of Accolade Wines – see the August 2022 edition of Food & Drink Business for Hardys’ zero alc range development) in 2002, followed soon after by Casella Wines in 2005.
In celebrating the awards’ 60th year, we take a look back at some past food and beverage exporter category winners and the era they represented, as they helped to shape Australia’s export market.
1970s – Seeking new markets
The 1970s was a decade of major change for Australian exports. At the beginning of the decade, the European Economic Community put hefty import restrictions on non-members, which saw Australia’s agricultural exports lose their share of the European market.
In 1973, the federal government reduced tariffs by 25 per cent across the board in a bid to turn back Australia’s protectionist policies.
Ever resilient, Australian exporters found new opportunities in Asia, Eastern Europe, North America and the Middle East. A total of 20 new global trade missions marked a busy decade for expansion and new business.
Capilano: Australian Export Award Winner, 1971
Hive + Wellness honey brand Capilano is one of the most widely distributed Australian food brands, and one of the largest suppliers of pure honey, in the world. The company exports to 32 markets, including China, the US, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
More than 675 beekeepers across Australia supply more than 10,000 tonnes of Capilano honey every year.
The company won its first award in 1971, and again 38 years later in 2009.
General manager of International Sales for Hive + Wellness, Joel Carlyon, says winning the award in the 1970s played a key role in the company’s growth overseas.
“It helped build credibility on the global stage for our flagship Capilano brand. It helped open doors across our suite of capabilities for branded, private label and industrial bulk volume sales,” Carlyon says.
In March 2002, Capilano launched in the UK, with it quickly becoming one of the company’s strongest export markets. The company was forced to withdraw in 2007 due to an Australian honey shortage, but is currently preparing for its return.
“The new Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement presents an opportunity for the company to re-enter this dominant honey market,” Carlyon says.
1980s – Australia becomes more competitive
The 1980s were bookended by two recessions and a stock market crash. But in the years between, Australia experienced an economic boom, with 1985 and 1986 particularly eventful.
These years saw a sharp fall in both the terms of trade and the exchange rate, which strengthened the case for economic reform and paved the way for a raft of changes to enable Australia to better compete on the world stage.
Floating the Australian dollar created an opportunity for manufacturing exporters to take their first steps into international markets by making manufacturing exports more competitive.
Meanwhile, trade policy took centre stage with the release of the 1989 Asia Report, which advocated for closer trade ties with countries in Northeast Asia.
Back in the nation’s capital, the Department of Foreign Affairs merged with the Department of Trade to form the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. In 1986, the Australian Trade Commission, or Austrade, was established.
Antico International: Winner of Australian Export Award, 1986
Antico International is an exporter, importer and wholesaler of fresh fruit and vegetables. It started with a single fruit shop in Sydney’s Mascot and quickly moved from local providore to global food exporter.
The company was one of the first to put same-day, farm-fresh deliveries onto air pallets and sea containers including stone fruits and vegetables like broccoli, lettuce and cauliflower.
Antico founders and brothers Tony and Attilio (known as John) are still involved in the business and CEO Hugh Molloy has been with the company for 27 years.
John Antico says winning the award in 1986 contributed to growing the business.
“It opened the doors of growers, new customers, and government agencies, both here and abroad. It also contributed to the expansion of exporting Australian fresh produce to an ever-opening world.
“Most importantly, the award represented recognition from our peers that our decades of effort to connect the world to the best of Australian produce had been appreciated,” Antico says.
1990s – The rise of the new economy
As the 1990s kicked off, Australia’s trade landscape was changing. The beginnings of a shift away from manufacturing and agriculture towards services was underway. By the end of the decade, services were a valuable export earner for the nation, making up just under a quarter of total exports.
Trade liberalisation continued well into the 1990s. We saw further marketing scheme deregulation for export commodities like wool, wheat, meat, and dairy.
Tassal: Australian Export Awards winner, 1993
Tassal is Australia’s largest producer of Tasmanian-grown Atlantic salmon and pioneered the salmon farming industry in Australia 35 years ago. It has recently been acquired by Canadian aquaculture company Cooke.
Tassal employs around 1700 people across Australia, with Tasmania a major region for the business. In the state, one in 20 Tasmanians work directly or indirectly in the salmon industry.
2021/22 has been Tassal’s most successful export year in its history, but reaching that point has not followed a straight line. Tassal’s senior manager of International Salmon Brian Keenan says domestic growth has played a part in that.
“The fresh salmon industry in Australia has experienced enormous domestic growth over the last three decades. The combination of domestic market growth and local supply commitments has meant export volumes have fluctuated,” Keenan says.
Recognition of its achievements through the Australian Export Awards provides a rewards, Keenan says.
“International customers are always looking for key benefits and features to promote our product within their markets. Well-recognised national awards like the Australian Export Awards assist in providing an additional level of validation.
“It instils pride within the business and particularly with the key stakeholders involved with the export program. It also creates a sense of accomplishment and recognition for numerous employees in our organisation,” Keenan says.
For more information on the awards visit exportawards.gov.au. This year’s winners will be announced in November.
This article first appeared in the September edition of Food & Drink Business magazine.
