Joy spreads as Bega brings Vegemite home

Bega was full of happy little Vegemites yesterday after its cheese company acquired the US-owned Australian icon.

‘You’re not Aussie if you don’t like Vegemite’: Rebecca Mackinnon and Bonnie-Rae Kennedy flank company secretary Brett Kelly yesterday. Picture: Kym Smith

The town of Bega was full of happy little Vegemites with cheesy grins yesterday, as it emerged that its famous cheese company had acquired the US-owned Australian icon.

The dairy giant, which was founded as a farmers’ co-operative on the NSW south coast hinter­land in 1899, has taken ownership of most of the Australian and New Zealand grocery products under the control of US-based Mondelez International, making Vegemite fully Australian-owned for the first time in more than 80 years. The move — less than a week out from Australia Day — was welcomed as a positive sign for the future in Bega, where 600 of the 33,000 residents are Bega Cheese employ­ees and hundreds of farming families in the surrounding valleys are suppliers.

It was also a shot of confidence for the nation’s food producers.

Bega Cheese executive chairman Barry Irvin said the $460 million acquisition — which includes Kraft’s Port Melbourne manufacturing site and its 200 employees — was like buying back the farm.

“You can’t help being a proud country boy,’’ he said. “We have grown Bega cheese from such humble beginnings to a business now being able to buy back a brand like Vegemite from a big multinational … it is not only being celebrated by our staff and our farmers, but by the whole country. That is a great thing.’’

Along with Vegemite, Bega has acquired an assortment of Kraft products under ­licence, includin­g peanut butter, nut spreads, processed cheese slices, cheese spread, mayonnaise, parmesan cheese, Bonox and Kraft Mac & Cheese.

Many employees at the Bega Cheese factory learned of the news through social media. “It’s always good news when Austral­ians get jobs with Australian companies,” processing operator Rebecca Mackinnon said.

“You’re not Aussie if you don’t like Vegemite,” her colleague Bonnie-Rae Kennedy added.

Bega Cheese produces a range of tasty cheese, processed cheese, kids’ snack and bionutrient products at the Bega factory. The company is also a specialist contract packer of natural and processed cheddar cheese for major corporations around the world.

Mayor Kristy McBain said any success for Bega Cheese was a success for the Bega Valley. “It’s given a whole new meaning to a Vegemite and cheese sandwich,” she said. “Our region is now home to perhaps the two biggest food brands in Australia. Bega Cheese is not only the backbone of the local economy, it sets the mood for our community.”

Additional reporting: AAP