We have approximately 4,000 passionate employees, working across 20 manufacturing sites and corporate offices who are helping us achieve our vision to become The Great Australian Food Company.
The home of Bega remains on the south coast of New South Wales, our footprint now stretches north along the east coast of Australia to Sydney and the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland and then west to Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Perth in Western Australia.
We are the Bega Group and we are proudly Australian owned. Collectively, for more than a century we have dedicated ourselves to being leading makers and innovators of great Australian food and drink brands for all Australians to enjoy.
The Bega Group is an Australian diversified food and drinks company with manufacturing sites in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria.
China company Mengniu Dairy owns the following brands: Dairy Farmers, Pura, Farmers Union, Masters, Moove, Dare, Vitasoy, Yoplait, Fruche, Divine Classic, YoGo, Big M, Berri, Just Juice, Daily Juice, King Island Dairy, South Cape, Tilba, Timboon, Tasmanian Heritage and Clover Creek,” the text above the image reads.
ABOUT US. Bega Cheese is an Australian owned and operated cheese company located in the beautiful Bega Valley, on the south coast of New South Wales. The company was founded as a dairy co-operative in 1899, and many of the current owners of Bega Cheese are the 100 plus dairy farmers.
The Discovery. The VEGEMITE brand has a history spanning over 99 years and is proudly owned by the great Australian food company – Bega Cheese Limited.
Bega acquired the Australian division of Kraft Foods (known as Mondelez Australia), including the assets and goodwill of the business. After the purchase, Bega ran a series of advertisements letting Australian consumers know that Kraft peanut butter is now Bega peanut butter: “Same recipe, same great taste.
Bega Original Stringers are 100% natural cheese sticks that can be peeled into strings of cheese. Bega Original Stringers are the ideal take anywhere snack and are individually wrapped for freshness.
Bega Simply Nuts Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter
99.5% peanuts and made in Australia with 100% Australian ingredients. It spreads well on soft white bread for crunchy peanut butter. Tasting notes: "Smells like roasted nuts".
Australia's Favourite Peanut Butter is now Aussie owned by Bega. Made in Port Melbourne with the same 'Never Oily, Never Dry' recipe you've always loved. All that's changed is the name!
Our Tasty Cheese is made from natural Australian cheese.
Hilmar Cheese Company is the "world's largest single-site cheese and whey products manufacturing facility" The visitor center features exhibits, free samples, and viewing windows.
Today Kraft Heinz turns over $1.2 billion in Australia, with four manufacturing facilities, more than 900 staff, and a reputation for quality brands and products that Australians know and love.
In the 1950s and 60s, despite acquisition by the American company Kraft, Vegemite became a distinctively 'Australian' food. It featured in songs, on souvenirs and other popular culture ephemera. Vegemite returned to Australian ownership in 2017 when purchased by dairy company Bega.
Acquisition by Bega Cheese
The Vegemite brand was owned by Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc.
Kraft Singles were introduced in the USA in around 1965 but took another 11 years to make it to Australia. In 2017, in Australia, Kraft Singles were re-branded as Dairylea Slices after Bega Cheese acquired the majority of Mondelez International's Australia and New Zealand grocery and cheese business.
Kraft's successor company in Australia, Mondelez, sold their cheese products line to Bega Cheese, but retained rights to the Kraft name. Bega switched the name of their sliced cheese product from "Kraft Singles" to "Dairylea Slices", as Bega acquired the rights to the Dairylea brand in Australia in the deal.
Bega bought the peanut butter business from Mondelez Australia in 2017, and produced the spread at what was the Kraft factory in Port Melbourne.
The original site at Lagoon Street still operates today producing cheddar and mozzarella cheese and whey powders. In 1997 Bega Cheese built a cheese processing and packaging facility at Ridge Street, Bega, value adding cheese for both the Australian and International market.
Western Star is an Australian butter and spreads brand founded in 1926 in the Western Districts of Victoria. Products are widely distributed across Australia and available in most supermarkets. The brand is owned by Fonterra. The famous Western Star spread is hand crafted by Jordan Riches.