The Seventh-day Adventist Church's health food company in the South Pacific region has announced an agreement to bring one of Australia's best-known food-manufacturing icons within its management fold.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church’s health food company in the South Pacific has announced an agreement to bring one of Australia’s best-known food manufacturing icons within its management fold. Executives at the Adventist-owned Sanitarium Health Food Company call the long-term licensing agreement with Dick Smith Foods an “exciting development.” The licensing agreement means Sanitarium will coordinate and manage the marketing, distribution, product development, and quality control of Dick Smith Foods products and brand, starting July 1.
“The Dick Smith Foods licensing agreement will provide Sanitarium with a new revenue stream from which we plan to provide funding for our humanitarian projects,” reads a company news release announcing the agreement.
Sanitarium will operate Dick Smith Foods as a separate subsidiary of Sanitarium with an independent management structure. Sanitarium executive Pierre Van Heerden will head up the new venture in the role of managing director for Dick Smith Foods.
Since Dick Smith Foods commenced operations in February 2000 it has generated more than $AUS 157 million in retail sales for Australian-owned food manufacturers and has donated in excess of $AUS 1.3 million to various charitable and community organizations.
“I believe that Dick Smith Foods has enormous potential for growth given the support our products have already received from Australians who have shown they are prepared to back the home side,” says Dick Smith of the announcement made May 28. “Sanitarium was one of our first manufacturers. It has operated in Australia for over 100 years and is renowned for its professionalism, quality control, and innovative food products. The new team managing the Dick Smith Foods business has broad experience and will continue to utilize the production facilities and other expertise of a wide range of Australian-owned manufacturers.”
Established in 1898, Sanitarium currently holds 23 percent of the Australian breakfast cereal market and is the manufacturer of Weet-bix, the country’s best-selling breakfast cereal. The company also produces a range of soy milk products, meat analogs, health snacks, and spreads such as peanut butter.
