The Food Magazine awards will return in 2013 and with entries closing on 24 April, now's your chance to have your product recognised by industry peers!
In this preview of the annual awards, we're looking at the Dairy category, which is sponsored by Tronics.
Products eligible for this category include those that comprise cow, milk, buffalo or goat milk as a main element. Products that can be entered include cheese, milk, ice cream, yoghurt and custard.
The entry process for this category is simple; all you need to do is submit details of your company and the product (name, website, address etc) as well as information on how the product is processed, its significance in the market, any details on export opportunities and what measures were taken to ensure food safety.
Images also need to be provided upon submission.
In last year's Food magazine awards, the Dairy award went to five:am Life for its Organic Yoghurt
About the winner
Lauren Kempler from five:am says that being organic is a key part of the brand and its success.
"Eating organic is in a way the essence to our brand identity. The concept behind five:am is one of 'conscious deliciousness;' that means that we are conscious of hand-picking the finest, organic and all natural ingredients for all of our recipes," she said.
"We produce our superior tasting yoghurt with a clear conscience – knowing that not only is the product good for you but that every aspect of five:am's production preserves the environment. This means our cows are free to roam, that they, and the fruits used are free from all things nasty (hormones, pesticides, antibiotics…) Eating organic is key to a healthy lifestyle."
David Prior, the creator of the five:am brand has had extensive experience in the food manufacturing industry as the co-founder of Baroda Manufacturing, he was responsible for the growth of the business, overseeing its expansion from a start up into one of Australia's fastest growing businesses within 10 years. Boasting an annual turnover of $25 million, Prior led the company's acquisition by VISY Packaging in 2007 before starting five:am a little over two years ago.
"Organic and preservative free, five:am yoghurt is one of the few 'free-from' foods you will find in the mass market. There's no two ways about it. Our product is as good as you can get. The way we make it is superior to other products on the market, which is evident in the taste and better still, it is purely organic," David said.
Sustainability-wise, the production process aims to minimise energy and waste as much as possible. Packaging is all made from one material and designed to ensure the least detriment to the environment while still being 100 per cent recyclable.
"We started our pack design process by selecting a material with a relatively low carbon footprint. We then designed the container sizes to get the best use of the pallet, meaning less trucks are required to get our product to you," said Lauren.
The brand has also engaged the public by offering samples in supermarkets, school fetes and the Royal Easter show as well as utilising social media.
"We've managed to increase distribution dramatically, keep up communication with our loyal Facebook community and are thrilled to launch our new iPhone app in our 'it's about time' campaign in the next few months," Lauren said.
David plans to expand both globally and in terms of product range in the near future, noting the introduction of organic drinking yoghurts and baby friendly options as avenues the company will explore.
For information and entry details, click here.
The 2013 Food Magazine Awards are proudly brought to you by Platinum sponsor Heat and Control. Other sponsors include Flavour Makers, Janbak, HACCP Australia, Kerry Ingredients, Newly Weds Foods, Tronics, APPMA, Earlee Products and Kurz.