Bega Foodservice: We’ve Got Your Back
/The trusted custodian of iconic brands reiterates its ongoing support of Australia’s hospitality industry
Proudly Australian owned, Bega Foodservice is the trusted custodian of some of Australia’s most iconic brands and products which fill the fridges and kitchens of hospitality venues across the nation.
Its hero brand, Dairy Farmers, has long been a trusted stalwart of the foodservice sector, delivering goodness to Australians for more than 120 years.
Now Bega Foodservice is reiterating its ongoing support of Australia’s hospitality industry, exemplified through the tagline We’ve Got Your Back which underpins the new marketing campaign showcasing its extensive range of foodservice-specific products.
Bega Group Executive General Manager Adam McNamara
“The latest statistics show that more and more food is being consumed out of home, so we see foodservice as a channel which will continue to grow,” says Bega Group Executive General Manager Adam McNamara.
“And as foodservice constitutes one of our key strategic pillars in our current five year strategy, we’ve devoted our focus to accelerating our presence within the channel, which means rededicating ourselves to providing not just products but solutions and value added support to those foodservice professionals who place their trust in us.”
As part of this renewed emphasis on the sector, Bega Foodservice has undertaken some internal restructuring – merging what in the past had been two complementary sales and marketing teams into a unified structure called One Bega.
Responding to demand for value added support
The business has further bolstered its customer support capability by bringing in new team members with deep channel expertise – such as appointing former NAFDA CEO Brad Lee as General Manager, Foodservice.
Bega Foodservice Executive Chef Caroline Westmore
“Since coming on board, Brad has worked diligently to build up the team, as the recent appointment of Caroline Westmore as our Executive Chef shows,” Adam says. “Already Caroline has been conducting customer masterclasses which have been met with positive feedback from attendees – showing us there is a strong demand for value added support.”
Adam says that having been through a period of transformation, Bega Foodservice is now “sharpening our knives in terms of how we execute within the foodservice market. We’ve Got Your Back was chosen for our new campaign because it underscores our commitment to partnering with foodservice professionals – having someone’s back is about trust, and it’s also about getting down into the trenches when times get difficult.”
We’ve Got Your Back can further be understood as relating to back of house, a term everybody in foodservice is familiar with. “Essentially it speaks to our commitment to delivering a dedicated resource for the foodservice channel, supporting foodservice professionals so that we can mutually benefit in profitably growing our businesses together,” Adam emphasises.
“We have to work closely with our foodservice partners as they pivot to meet changing market needs”
He acknowledges that the past few years have been challenging for many in foodservice. “Covid was a difficult time, then there was a bit of a bounceback and now we have added cost of living pressures and economic uncertainty. Consequently, consumers are being very deliberate about where and when they spend their money, so we have to work closely with our foodservice partners as they pivot to meet changing market needs.”
Actively supporting foodservice professionals
One way Bega Foodservice is actively supporting Australia’s foodservice professionals is through its Bega Foodservice Flavour Passport series, which provides recipe inspirations, menu trends and helpful tips for chefs along with complementary beverage suggestions.
“We’ve Got Your Back is about building confidence that foodservice professionals can turn to us for support when they need it”
“I think Flavour Passport, which is very much targeted at educating and inspiring our foodservice end-users, exemplifies the fact that we don’t just want to supply product, but share insights as well,” Adam says. “Certainly quality product is critical – but it’s also about how we align with our customers. We’ve Got Your Back is about building confidence that foodservice professionals can turn to us for support when they need it, especially when times are tough.
“To that end, we’ve conducted a refresh of all our digital resources, from our website content to our social media presence, as well as increasing our participation in industry forums and events.”
Forging ahead in delivering innovation
Bega Foodservice is also forging ahead in delivering foodservice channel product innovation, creating highly specialised products like Dairy Farmers Cooking Cream which will perform under high temperatures and not split or separate with the addition of acidic ingredients like lemon or vinegar.
Another example is Dairy Farmers Express Professional Cream Cheese, developed to be ready for use as soon as it’s taken out of the fridge – with no need to wait for it to soften.
“These products exemplify our commitment to providing culinary solutions as opposed to simply products,” Adam says. “Another strength is our manufacturing capability in processed cheese and the high quality products we’re able to offer in that category, like Dairy Farmers Burger Slices and Hi-Melt Burger Slices. These are high quality products that meet market needs not just in terms of great taste but superior functionality as well.”
Looking to the future, he adds: “Our manufacturing capability and technical expertise in cream cheese is already significant – in fact we’re the largest cream cheese manufacturer in Australia – and we’re looking to increase our capacity further. We also see the yoghurt category as offering significant growth opportunity, and consequently we’re investing in new technology at our Ridge St site in the NSW town of Bega, after which we’re named. We will continue to seek out new market opportunities in support of Australia’s foodservice channel into the future.”
