2006 Southern Queensland Exporting to the World award winners named

Pacific Seeds has been named the coveted Regional Exporter of the Year at the 2006 Southern Queensland Exporting to the World Awards ceremony held today.

Following the announcement of this year’s winners, Premier and Minister for Trade Peter Beattie congratulated Pacific Seeds for winning the overall award as well as the Agribusiness category, Chevredor for its Emerging Exporter win, and Mother Meg’s Australian Fine Foods for being named the best Small to Medium Manufacturer.

“These awards highlight the diversity and depth of the Toowoomba region’s business community and its thriving exporting culture,” Mr Beattie said.

“It also shows that any innovative business – regardless of size and location – can achieve success on the world stage by having great products and smart ideas coupled with excellent management skills and passion.

“Thanks to efforts of exporters like these Southern Queensland companies, Queensland generated more than $35 billion in merchandise export revenue in 2005-06, an increase of 34 per cent on the previous year.

“This means the Smart State continues to have the fastest export growth in the nation.”

Mr Beattie said Toowoomba-based Pacific Seeds bred, produced and marketed seeds including sorghum, forage, corn, oats, canola, sunflowers and wheat, for farmers and food manufacturers worldwide.

“The company has been exporting for more than 20 years, has established operations in Thailand, India, and Canada, and boasts a dedicated team which focuses on generating sales in South America, Asia, Middle East and Africa,” he said.

“Miles company Chevredor, run by husband and wife team Laurie and Rosemary Bere-Streeter, bred Boer goats from several different bloodlines and has its own embryo harvesting surgery and laboratory.”

“It offers a range of breeding services for small studs to commercial goat meat producers and Chevredor’s Pre-Export Quarantine Facility is currently handling regular shipments of goats to Malaysia and the Philippines from breeders all over Queensland and New South Wales.”

Mr Beattie said Mother Meg’s Australian Fine Foods used traditional baking techniques and recipes passed down through generations to handbake biscuits, cakes and puddings using mostly local and organic products.

“The company has grown to become one of Australia’s largest gourmet biscuit manufacturers since it began in Toowoomba in 1992,” he said.

“Mother Meg’s today exports its baked goods to department stores, food halls, delis and hotels in London, Hong Kong and Singapore.”

Member for Toowoomba North and Attorney-General Kerry Shine represented the Queensland Government at the awards and joined the Premier in congratulating Toowoomba regional businesses.

“Southern Queensland businesses cracking the global marketplace with determination, confidence and prowess is raising the profile of the whole region and helping to drive Queensland’s exceptional economic performance,” said Mr Shine, who is the Minister Assisting the Premier in Western Queensland.

The awards were run by the Department of State Development and Trade, the University of Southern Queensland's Faculty of Business and The Chronicle.

Company contact details:

Pacific Seeds, Howard Morris, 07 4690 2666, howard.morris@pacseeds.com.au

L & R Bere-Streeter trading as Chevredor , Rosemary Bere-Streeter, 07 4665 8130, chevredor@bigpond.com

Mother Meg’s Fine Foods, Kate Baker, 07 4639 4942, katebaker@mothermegs.com.au

22 November 2006
Media contact: Kirby Anderson 3239 6400 or 0418 197 350