A2 Milk moves into Korea
The specialist milk and nutritional formula marketer, A2 Milk Company, is breaking into the South Korean market after striking a sales and distribution deal with Yuhan Corporation.
The Korean pharmaceutical company will start distributing the A2 protein range of dairy foods and nutritional formulas sourced from Australia and New Zealand after July.
A formal ceremony recoginsing the new relationship was held in Seoul this week, kick starting what A2 expects to be commercial growth similar to the stellar success it now enjoys in China and Australia.
South Korea has high per capita dairy consumption and fast-growing online sales.
"Yuhan Corporation is a long established, highly credentialed and principled Korean business,” said managing director Geoff Babidge.
“We share similar values and ambitions, and with our complimentary capabilities believe we can build a meaningful business in Korea."
New organic boss
Former News Corporation manager, Sue Willis, is to head organic food certification agency, Australian Organic.
Ms Willis’ farming heritage and track-record in senior management would stand her in good stead to position the organisation and its members for maximum success, the company said.
She grew up on a dairy farm in Queensland and has lately had production, logistics and supply chain experience, plus extensive sales and communications roles with North Queensland Newspapers.
Her job included responsibility for one of the largest newspaper printing presses in the southern hemisphere.
Ms Willis also holds volunteer roles on not-for-profit and community boards.
“We are on the cusp of the next generation of the wellness movement, which sees the discussion around the validity of organic front and centre of the health debate,” she said.
Debney chairs The Yield
Agricultural technology company, The Yield, has appointed Costa Group managing director, Harry Debney, as chairman.
Mr Debney has had a long career growing commercial companies on a global scale, including a decade in food and agriculture.
The Yield is transforming food and farming practices with scalable digital technology by using Internet of Things data science, climate sensing and artificial intelligence to solve farm level and food chain problems.
Founder and managing director, Ros Harvey, said the board approached Mr Debney because it valued his experience at Costa Group where he has been at the forefront of developing innovative agronomic projects and establishing farming operations in China and Morocco.
“We’re growing rapidly and plan to expand globally this year, taking The Yield technology to more farms, in more countries,” she said.
Hemp conference call
Australians interested in the revitalised agricultural hemp industry are being urged to consider joining the European Industrial Hemp Association’s 15th annual conference, in Cologne, Germany on June 12 and 13.
Applications for hemp biocomposites in the automotive and construction, textiles, food, food supplements and pharmaceuticals are topics on the discussion agenda.
The event will draw more than 350 participants from 40 countries, plus commercial hemp industry exhibitors.
Specialists will address information on the latest developments in hemp applications for fibres, shivs, seeds and oil as well as cannabinoids.
Nufarm note offer
Farm chemical maker, Nufarm, is to offer $580 million worth of senior unsecured notes in the US market via its Nufarm Australia and Nufarm Americas subsidiaries.
The notes will be offered to qualified US institutional buyers and some buyers outside the US.
If the offer is successful, Nufarm will use the funds to repay amounts outstanding under the existing senior notes on issue.
Last month Nufarm wrapped up its $800m acquisition of more than 50 crop protection formulations and more than 260 registrations for use in European markets, bought from chemical rivals FMC and Adama.