Murray Future Foods Facility

Outcome

A commercial scale food and beverage processing operation established at the Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia (FIPWA).

Overview

The FIPWA is Western Australia’s premier location for food innovation, research and commercialisation. It was established to transform Western Australia’s food and beverage industry, and stimulate a significant economic boost to the sector.

Since opening in 2023, FIPWA has quickly become an award winning, place-based ecosystem comprising state-of-the-art facilities that foster industry innovation to drive product development, business growth, and unlock export potential.

Facilities include:

• An innovation centre with one-stop support services
• A research and development facility and researchers
• A common-use food-technology facility.

The facilities at FIPWA are operated in partnership between Shire of Murray, Murdoch University and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

As a collective, partners increase the profile and awareness of WA’s agri-food products and connect agri-food regions across Australia and the world.

Together, partners aim to:

• Stimulate Western Australia’s food and beverage sector
• Generate up to 1500 direct and indirect jobs
• Enable the development of new talent, capabilities and a skilled workforce.

At the FIPWA, growers and producers network, undertake research, develop new products, complete commercial-scale prototyping and market-test food products derived from WA produce.

This allows businesses to scale-up and reach their export potential by boosting competitiveness in national and international markets. The final piece of the puzzle is to establish the Murray Future Foods Facility, allowing commercial scale food and beverage processing.

The FIPWA is owned by the Shire of Murray and is one of the first projects at the Peel Business Park.

The western portion of the precinct is currently vacant and offers 6,000sqm of land to accommodate a new facility.

During Summer 2023/24, we ran a competitive Expression of Interest process to identify a suitable proponent to operate the Murray Future Foods Facility. The Shire’s vision is to see the operation support processing of WA’s primary produce, and grow the cluster of agri-food processors and associated businesses in the Peel Business Park.

With the successful proponent, we will negotiate and plan detailed options including masterplans and work on business case(s) to efficiently implement this development opportunity. Potential opportunities include (but are not limited to):

• Alternative milks production and processing
• Plant protein processing
• Ultra-high temperature (UHT) packaging
• Grains processing
• Pet food.

To pursue these innovative opportunities, a new facility will be built at FIPWA. Funds sought through the Shire’s advocacy efforts will facilitate this.

Benefits

• Ongoing growth and investment at the Peel Business Park
• Job stimulation during construction and ongoing operation of the facility
• Growth of WA’s agri-food industry and international exports.