By Aaron Cordy
THE Shepparton Fruit Preserving Co has been a staple of the region since the company began operations in February 1918, canning pears, peaches and nectarines under the brand name of SPC. A merger with Ardmona in 2002, then bought by Coca-Cola Amatil in 2005 and sold in 2019, SPC has experienced many ups and a few harsh downs along the way.
Now operating under SPC Global, the Greater Shepparton icon completed a three-way merger with The Original Juice Co. and Nature One Dairy in October last year.
Former Asahi Beverages Group CEO and current SPC Director, Robert Iervasi, was appointed the Managing Director of the merged business. Mr Iervasi was back in the region recently as part of the Committee for Greater Shepparton forum.
“Every time I come to Shepparton and I meet someone who I may introduce myself to, most of them have had at least one family member that has worked at the Shepparton site at one particular point in time,” said Mr Iervasi.
“So, I do not take for granted the affinity that the community has with SPC and how important this manufacturing facility is to the community in which we’re operating in. SPC continues to be the cornerstone of our manufacturing footprint, and we will continue to invest in Shepparton as we continue to grow our manufacturing capability.”
“Historically, the focus has been on the traditional commodity products such as tinned tomatoes and tinned peaches, and with myself stepping into the role of the new executive team that I’ve introduced, we’re focusing on what does the consumer want in tomatoes and in peaches, better pack formats, functional additives, things that make an otherwise commodity category a little bit more exciting and some new news. ‘We need our Shepparton site to be able to continue to flourish, to do that for us. So I’m quite excited about the future growth of the categories in which we operate in. But those categories will come with new news in the market to move away from being a commodity and grow into something that people are excited about trying again.”
It is not the first time locals have looked to promises regarding SPC only to be left with uncertainty. When the Coca-Cola Amatil merger failed, many locals feared what it meant to jobs in the region. With the current merger between the three companies, those same fears linger.
“The biggest difference between us and the business under Amatil ownership is that it is our core business that we do. It is the main bread and butter of what we deliver. So it’s very much part of our currency, and it’s also part of our future.
“Coca-Cola Amatil is a significant organisation, but globally known for beverages and less known for the food products that it produces. So there’s a different approach to the way you would run the business as a result. The major shift that you’ll see under my leadership, compared to where we were before, is recognising that we are here to provide quality good food that is demanded by consumers. So our job is to identify what consumers want today, what consumers want tomorrow, and ensure that we’re constantly evolving our products to meet those habits.”
The merger coincides with a $250M deal for Nature One Dairy milk powder products to be distributed throughout China via Mannings, one of the region’s largest health a beauty chains. NOD also has selling divisions in 13 markets across Asia and has launched some products in North America through Amazon.
“I’m so excited to be leading a business that has a sales team in Hong Kong, by way of example, and a regional office in Singapore and a manufacturing footprint here at Shepperton and at Carrum Downs. It starts to give credibility to the fact that SPC is different and it’s globalising in the way that we work.
“What we do know about the consumers in those markets is that they are more sophisticated than perhaps we give them credit for. They are more discerning with what they’re looking to consume and buy, and they have a keen interest in functional additives and functional benefits. So we have done everything from taste testing throughout Asia of baked beans and spaghetti to some of our fruit purees. So I wouldn’t be surprised in the near future if we see something like the wonderful fruit that we produce here in Shepparton in a puree format, in a pouch being sold throughout Asia.”
It is a sentiment locals want to hear, the continued growing, producing and manufacturing of food products stamped with SPC and coming out of Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley to Australia and beyond. Robert Iervasi was quick to assure readers that SPC wasn’t going anywhere.
“No, absolutely not. It is still our cornerstone facility. It has had significant upgrades. It’s had significant investment in technology. In fact, I would say the reverse. There’s probably going to be more production in Shepparton than what is there today.”
