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MSM Milling has received a Highly Commended Award in the Agribusiness, Food and Beverages category of the 2019 NSW Premier’s Export Awards.

The Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW, Industry and Trade John Barilaro said the awards recognise the outstanding success of leading NSW businesses and the contribution they make to the state’s trade output.

“These businesses represent the very best NSW has to offer – from small family-owned businesses to listed corporations, they are making a tangible contribution not only to NSW but across Australia. Every exporter who is investing in growing their overseas markets is also helping to grow and support local communities,” Mr Barilaro said.

MSM Milling Director Peter Mac Smith received the award at a gala dinner in Sydney and told journalists it is a reflection of the dedication and hard work of the entire team at MSM Milling.

“Sales of our auzure 100% Australian Expeller Pressed Non-GM Canola Oil have been more than doubling every year, which is rewarding for us,” he said.

“It’s been a hard 24-36 months for everyone in our supply chain with the drought and the challenges it brings, so this award gives everyone the enthusiasm to keep going forward and growing,” he said.

MSM Milling has won a Sydney Royal Fine Food Show Silver Medal in recognition of the quality of its 100% Australian Non-GM Expeller Pressed auzure Canola Oil, in its first year at the prestigious event. More than 1,800 exhibits were judged across nine sections of the Fine Food Show in Sydney in September. The Oils category of the 2019 Sydney Royal Fine Food Show was highly contested, with judges noting the number of entries received in the section.

The judges noted auzure boasted ‘subtle toasted coconut with a clean finish on the palate’.

A spokesperson for the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) says since its establishment in 1822, Sydney Royal Competitions set the benchmark for agricultural excellence that underpins Australia’s agricultural performance ensuring a viable and prosperous future for our rural communities.

auzure is sold across Australia and demanded around the world by consumers, quick service restaurants and food manufacturers for its quality, health attributes and versatility. The silver medal will be added to labels and food service packaging in recognition of the win.

The Orange-region oilseed crushing, refining and packaging company MSM Milling has commissioned a multi-million dollar cornerstone project for the Australian food processing industry, making it the country’s first low carbon canola oil producer.

The state-of-the-art $5.38 million biomass-fuelled boiler was funded by the 100% Australian family owned company, in conjunction with a $2-million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), under the Advancing Renewables Program.

The project involved the installation of a 4.88MW boiler, which is fuelled by locally sourced renewable wood waste, forestry thinnings, offcuts and sawmill by-products, to generate the steam needed for the canola processing operation. The biomass boiler replaces three LPG boilers, with the vast majority of heat and steam requirements now coming from renewables.

MSM Milling Director, Bob Mac Smith, says the company’s commitment to sustainability and adoption of renewable energy, helps ensure the future of the business, and is in line with consumers’ demands for environmentally friendly products, production, supply chains and businesses.

“We’re proud that MSM Milling is one of the country’s first large scale food manufacturers to make the switch to bioenergy. The boiler is delivering a 70-per-cent reduction in our thermal energy costs, reducing greenhouse emissions, fossil fuel energy use and depletion, while increasing NSW’s renewable energy generation.

“The investment is also delivering domestic and international consumers the low carbon food products they’re demanding. Our 100% Australian expeller pressed Non-GM auzure Canola Oil is now officially a low carbon food product.

“In real terms, our switch from LPG to biomass will result in net emissions reductions of more than 80,000-tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents during the life of the project. It means we’re removing the Co2e of 1,500 cars from the road each year, Mr Mac Smith said.

The CEO of ARENA, Darren Miller, says the project is helping to showcase the growing benefits of bioenergy uptake in Australia’s energy mix.

“MSM Milling is one of the first examples of a large Australian agricultural industry company reducing its costs and environmental impact by using biomass for thermal energy. It’s something ARENA is proud to have supported and we see significant potential for the project to be replicated elsewhere in the industrial sector,” he said.

MSM Milling partnered with boiler manufacturer Justsen as well as Uniquip Engineering, carbon energy expert Ndevr Environmental and several local industry experts for the project, documenting the process at several bioenergy conferences across Australia to showcase the development. The fuel switch project showcases the early adoption of such technology in Australia and several other Australian companies have since signed contracts with the boiler manufacturer to enable the uptake of bioenergy.

Despite some of the toughest drought conditions on record, Manildra Group and MSM Milling continue to help Foodbank to provide 51 million meals to Australians in need through flour, sugar and oil donations as part of Foodbank’s vital collaborative supply program.

Since 2004, Manildra Group has provided flour to manufacture pasta with Rinoldi as part of the country’s first program of its kind. From 2009, MSM Milling has provided canola oil donations to the production of Leggo’s Napoletana Pasta Sauce in a joint initiative with Simplot and its ingredient suppliers.

Foodbank Australia General Manager National Supply Chain, Michael Davidson, said the organisation is incredibly grateful for the ongoing support and partnership with both Manildra Group and MSM Milling.

“With more than 40% of Foodbank’s total food relief volume helping regional and remote communities and the tough season at hand, the involvement of these two leading regionally based manufacturing companies is appreciated and needed more than ever to help communities and vulnerable Australians, including here in their own backyard, in Orange and regional NSW.

Manildra Group and MSM Milling source the wheat and canola from the local area, handle the milling and consolidation locally and help people in the local area with the finished products from the program distributed via our network of front line charities,” he said.

In 2017 the Manildra Group collectively donated 22,400 meals to Foodbank from product donations across its range, and more than 5 million serves from its involvement in the two collaborative supply programs, providing a significant social return on investment of more than $8.2 million last year alone.

Manildra Group’s Manildra Flour Mill Production Manager, Tony Fitzpatrick said Manildra Group is proud to continue donating locally grown and produced flour and sugar to this vital program.

“With our national partnership with Foodbank now in its 14th year, the Honan family and Manildra Group team are committed to providing key staple foods to vulnerable Australians in need. Being part of an innovative program like this really demonstrates what can be achieved when suppliers and food manufacturers come together for the collective benefits of our communities,” said Mr Brunner.

MSM Milling’s Site Manager James Karbowiak, says MSM Milling’s involvement in the Foodbank Collaborative Supply Program is a perfect fit for the company to directly assist people needing hunger relief.

“Every year MSM Milling proudly donates thousands of litres of canola oil to this valuable program to ensure such a versatile pantry staple is made available to those who most need it. We’re a family business and the directors and the team are all proud and humbled to donate oil to the program and see the difference it makes to everyday Australians. On occasions I volunteer my personal time to assist at Foodcare Orange and it’s wonderful to see our products going some way to alleviate food insecurity in our local communities.” he said.

NSW exporter MSM Milling is boosting its exports of canola oil into China by tapping into the lucrative e-commerce market.

The Orange-based canola crushing, refining and packing business has been exporting oil to China for eight years but in 2017 strategically moved to sell its retail and food service brand to Chinese consumers via China’s largest cross border e-commerce retailer, Kaola.

Minister for Primary Industries and Trade and Industry, Niall Blair visited the former NSW Exporter of the Year today following his return from a successful trade mission to China earlier this month.
Mr Blair said it’s great to see a successful NSW exporter like MSM Milling taking advantage of new opportunities in its overseas markets.

“Recently, MSM participated in the world’s largest online shopping event, Singles Day, achieving in excess of a 3000 per cent increase on their sales of the previous year,” Mr Blair said.

“E-commerce is changing the way NSW producers can get their products to the world.

“It’s proof that Chinese consumers can’t get enough of our quality, sustainable products and we are more than happy to deliver the best.

“During my visit to Shanghai I was very impressed by the potential for NSW companies to sell their top quality products through e-commerce platforms into a massive, expanding market of Chinese consumers.”

Mr Blair toured the oilseed plant to witness new season canola seed being delivered, pressed and packed into value added oil products.

The 100 per cent family-owned business has been exporting to bulk, food service and more recently, retail customers throughout 15 international markets for 12 years.

MSM Milling Director, Peter Mac Smith said the company chose e-commerce as a means of directly reaching consumers who use online shopping to source quality imported food products for their families.

“Chinese consumers trust e-commerce platforms to sell verified, safe and healthy products like our wholly Australian made auzure canola oil,” Mr Mac Smith said.

“The sheer reach of platforms like Kaola ensures Chinese consumers will have our product within hours of placing their order online.”

MSM Milling has donated $22,000 to Currajong Disability Services to help fund the establishment of a Jujube (Chinese Date) orchard. The MSM Milling Charity Partnership involved MSM donating $10/hectare for each hectare of high-oleic canola, known as Monola, that local farmers planted for the initiative, and a $5/tonne payment for each tonne of Monola that was delivered to MSM Milling.

The initiative saw many farmers in the Parkes and Condobolin districts grow more than 1300 hectares of Monola to raise vital funds for Currajong Disability Services.

“MSM Milling enabled Currajong to survive in both towns and also allowed the NDIS service provider to tackle a specialty project to ensure its own long term viability: a jujube orchard just outside of Parkes. So far around 1500 jujube trees have been planted,” said Currajong Disability Services Chairman Neil Unger.
Mr Unger says that without MSM Milling’s significant donation, the project wouldn’t have happened.

“We can’t thank Bob and Pete Mac Smith and the MSM team enough. This donation has ensured we can continue to service people with disability,” he said.