$1M grant is a game changer!
Dubbo’s Ben Furney Flour Mills receives $1m Manufacturing Modernisation Fund grant from federal government.
The grant, from the Federal Government’s Manufacturing Modernisation Fund (MMF), will help support a growing market segment in Australian manufacturing – with the rise and awareness of vegan and vegetarian focussed products. It will also lead to the creation of new local jobs.
Member for Parkes Mark Coulton, announced on Friday May 1st, that Ben Furney Flour Mills has been awarded a $1 million grant, which will be used to modernise the business and expand operations at the Flour Mill.
CEO Sarah Furney says ‘This is just another example of a business in Western NSW leading the way, as we strive to innovate and move forward into the future.’
“These headlines shout the exceptional progress our client Ben Furney Flour Mill is making. It is outstanding news and the team deserve all the accolades for their dedication and efforts to grow a regional based manufacturing company. This grant will greatly assist with new opportunities, new products, new employment and a strategic competitive edge in the market place.”
Sean Martyn, Business Coach @ Business By Design
The Daily Liberal News reported that Parkes MP Mark Coulton announced the funding at the family-owned business, flanked by its leaders Sarah Furney and Tim Furney.
Mr Coulton said that the $1 million grant allowed the flour mill to embark on a modernisation project that will allow it to ramp up capacity and break into new markets. “The grant came at a vital time, with some local industries feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project would lead to employment creation. It will open up new opportunities for the business and create up to 11 new full-time jobs. It will also provide a great confidence boost for the Dubbo region as we face these unprecedented times”.
Mr Coulton continued , “Furney’s is an iconic family-owned and operated business in Dubbo, which sources its wheat locally within the Macquarie Valley, “The current pandemic gives us the opportunity as a nation to reassess and commit to the values of Australian-made goods, such as those produced by Furney’s right here in Dubbo.”
“This will be a game changer for the business”
Sarah Furney CEO Ben Furney Flour Mills
“With the assistance of this grant, we will purchase and install a state-of-the-art automated processing line to manufacture Textured Vegetable Proteins (TVP), plant-based proteins and bread crumb products,” Ms Furney said.
“We will be able to produce a whole new range of products, increasing our capacity and allowing us to supply new markets both here in Australia and overseas, with a focus on the expanding plant-based proteins market.
“Our increased capacity resulting from this grant will help to secure the future of food production not just in Dubbo – but across Australia. “We feel strongly about producing our own food products and using local ingredients and suppliers. “This grant will help us to strengthen supply chains and reduce reliance on overseas imports. “We thank our federal member and the government for this important boost.”
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Getting the right advice and gaining access to people and programs to provide support at the right time is one of the biggest challenges facing business owners. The problem is that often you don’t know what you don’t know.
How do you commercialise a particular product or service? How can you take advantage of opportunities in the marketplace to grow and expand? It may even be as simple as finding an expert to help develop robust systems and processes to lay the foundation for business expansion.
In the last few years the Australian Government has set up the Entrepreneurs Program as it’s flagship initiative for business competitiveness and productivity. In the latest round of grants, businesses from a variety of industries were allocated over $400m, and the good news is this could include you!
Gaining access to this type of support can be a game-changer and can expedite a growth plan so you hit your goals faster and with more support than ever before, as shown by Ben Furney Flour Mills.
If you’d like to assess your eligibility for one of these grants to help take your business to the next level contact the team at Business By Design today on 02 6658 0775.