By Charlotte Wooldridge | posted on July 10, 2020
ALBANY honey business Honey Earth Produce has received a funding boost of $83,000 allowing them to trade-in an old caravan for a state-of-the-art processing facility.
The couple behind the hobbyist-turned-career honey farm, Sherrie and Carl Anderson, were last week announced as one of the 24 food and beverage manufacturers to receive value-add processors across WA and create more than 150 jobs.
Ms Anderson said the opportunity will allow them to reach markets that were previously inaccessible to them.
“This means that we can now get to the next level,” she said.
“For years we’ve said that we’d love to be able to package honey and be able to sell it, but because we don’t have the facility we haven’t been able to do that. So this grant opens us up to a lot more opportunities to be able to package and sell locally, nationally and internationally.”
The $83,000 grant from Round Two of the McGowan Government’s Value Add Agribusiness Investment Attraction Fund allow the couple to expand production, move from bulk sales to a premium product, and will create at least four permanent full-time jobs for Albany.
The hope is that the business will go from producing 25 tonnes of honey a year, to a potential 100 tonnes once the new facility opens in January.
Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan said she was pleased with the outcomes of these funding opportunities for businesses across WA.
“The breadth of projects which have been successful under this funding round is testament to the diversity, ingenuity and commitment of our food and beverage producers in Western Australia,” she said.