D’Orsogna Manufacturing Facility, Melbourne, Australia

D’Orsogna’s new food processing facility is being built in Merrifield Business Park in Mickleham, Victoria, Australia. Credit: D'Orsogna.

The sod-turning ceremony of the new facility was held in February 2018. Credit: D'Orsogna.

The new facility in Melbourne will double D’Orsogna’s production capacity. Credit: Gibson Property Corporation.

D’Orsogna is building a state-of-the-art food manufacturing facility in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, to expand production and improve its position in the small goods and meat protein food sector.

A sod-turning ceremony for the new meat processing facility took place in February 2018, and it is set to open in December 2018.

Estimated to cost A$66m ($51.5m), the facility will double D’Orsogna’s manufacturing capacity and enable the firm to serve consumer needs for fresh and packaged meat protein products.

The new facility will also support the company’s expansion plans in the Asian market.

Location of D’Orsogna’s new manufacturing facility

The new facility is being constructed in the 900ha Merrifield Business Park in Mickleham, which is 30km away from Melbourne.

The location is easily accessible and will support the companies presence in major markets in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. It will enable D’Orsogna to deliver products to the market more quickly and at a lower cost.

D’Orsogna new manufacturing facility details

The new facility is being constructed on a 3ha site and will have a built-up area of 10,858m². It is designed to be a green-field facility, incorporating energy and water conservation technologies.

The facility will be equipped with the latest technology and feature streamlined manufacturing processes to maximise productivity. It will be equipped with cooking, smoking, cooling, storing, slicing and packaging equipment.

D’Orsogna is also exploring options to expand the facility in stages in the future.

Products manufactured at the new facility

The new Melbourne site will manufacture a wide range of ham, bacon and meat protein products. The products will be manufactured using a combination of Australian and Italian-style traditions.

The company’s bacon products include Diced and Riverland Bacon, Oven-Baked Bacon Bits, Middle-Speck Double-Smoked Bacon and Rindless Rib bacon.

In addition, streaky bacon products such as Smokey BBQ Streaky Bacon and Maple Glazed Streaky Bacon are also produced.

Ham products offered by D’Orsogna include Triple-Smoked Leg Ham, Rivergum Leg Ham, Philadelphia Leg Ham, Riverland Variety Ham, Danish Smoked Ham, Diced Ham and Traditional Golden Roast Ham.

D’Orsogna also offers natural ham products in the form of unsmoked sliced, double-smoked sliced and wood-smoked ham portions, as well as gluten-free and 97% fat-free products.

Financing

The project is supported by the Victorian Government and the City of Hume. It has also received funds from the Labour Government under the Local Industry Fund for Transition, which aims to create jobs in areas impacted by the closure of car manufacturing companies.

Contractors involved

D’Orsogna signed a $41m turn-key contract with MAB Corporation and Gibson Property Corporation (GPC) to develop and build the new facility.

Qanstruct was contracted to provide detailed design and cost budgets for the facility prior to formal engagement on the project. The company will also design and deliver the manufacturing facility, while also installing process equipment.

Marketing commentary on D’Orsogna

Founded in 1949, D’Orsogna is a small-goods and meat protein company, which began operations as a small butcher shop in Perth.

D’Orsogna produces a wide range of cured and cooked hams, continental meat products, bacon and sausages.

The company currently employs more than 550 people and supplies its meat products to various supermarkets such as Woolworths, Coles, Metcash and other foodservice businesses across Australia.