Thomas Foods International
TypePrivate
Industry
  • Meat processing
  • Vegetable processing
  • wholesale
Predecessors
  • Mondello Farms
  • T and R Pastoral
Founded1988 (1988) in South Australia, Australia
FoundersChris Thomas, Bob Rowe
Key people
Darren Thomas
ProductsRed meat, potatoes
Website

Thomas Foods International is an Australian family-owned company based in South Australia. It is one of the largest meat processors in the country, and also has vegetable processing and distribution. The chief executive officer is Darren Thomas.

The company is vertically-integrated from a cattle feedlot near Tintinara[1] through processing, chilling or freezing, distribution and sales of meat, seafood and vegetables.

History

The company was founded as T and R Pastoral by Chris Thomas and Bob Rowe in 1988. The company originally bought livestock and contracted out for meat processing. It bought the Murray Bridge abattoir in 1999 with 230 employees. It bought the Lobethal abattoir in 2003.[2] In 2006, it also bought an abattoir in Western Australia and a defunct one in Port Pirie at which time it was the sixth-largest meat processor in Australia.[3]

The Thomas family took outright ownership in 2008. The company was renamed to Thomas Foods International in 2013. At that time, it was Australia's third-largest red meat processor and largest family-owned processor. It processed 5000 cattle and 120,000 lambs per week at four sites, including one at Wallangarra.[4]

In 2012, Thomas Foods International took up a 50% share in Holco meat storage and distribution.[5] It was Australia's largest exporter of lamb and mutton, to over 80 countries.[6]

The company added one of Australia's largest potato processors, Mondello Farms in 2013.[7] That business was renamed to Thomas Foods International Fresh Produce in 2014.[8] In 2020, the potato processing business was sold to a competitor, Mitolo Family Farms.[9]

A fire at the Murray Bridge abattoir in January 2018 destroyed the meat processing line.[10] Over the following months, production was increased at Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills and at Tamworth in New South Wales, but production was not restarted at closed facilities in Port Pirie or Wallangarra.[11] In June 2019, Thomas Foods International announced that rather than rebuilding at the existing site in Murray Bridge, it would build a replacement on a new site eight kilometres away.[12]

Construction of the new facility at Murray Bridge began in December 2020.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Profile". Iranda Beef. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  2. ↑ Russell, Christopher (5 March 2013). "T&R Pastoral business owner Darren Thomas says identity is critical for SA prosperity". The Advertiser. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  3. ↑ Homer, Annabelle (10 July 2006). "T&R Pastoral purchases another abattoir". ABC Rural. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  4. ↑ Condon, Jon (22 March 2013). "New face for T&R reflects changing nature of the business". Beef Central. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  5. ↑ "Thomas Foods International on acquisition path". Beef Central. 17 April 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  6. ↑ "T&R Pastoral and Holco Meat Join Forces". The Beef Site. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  7. ↑ Homer, Annabelle (2 September 2013). "Thomas Foods International acquires Mondello Farms". ABC Rural. ABC News. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "Thomas Foods International announces a rebrand of its recently acquired horticultural business". Thomas Foods International. 7 January 2014. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  9. ↑ Spence, Andrew (26 May 2020). "Thomas Foods sells to Mitolo as meat and potatoes go separate ways". InDaily. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  10. ↑ Langenberg, Adam; Williams, Tim; Hough, Andrew (3 January 2018). "Thomas Foods International's giant abattoir near Murray Bridge hit by devastating fire". The Advertiser. AAP. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  11. ↑ Jones, Erin (11 January 2018). "Thomas Foods International moves jobs to Lobethal and Tamworth abattoirs after fire at Murray Bridge plant". The Advertiser. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  12. ↑ "Murray Bridge meat processing plant to employ thousands after old abattoir gutted by fire". ABC News. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  13. ↑ Kellner, Lydia (16 December 2020). "Thomas Food International breaks ground on new $300m processing plant in Murray Bridge". Adelaide Hills Messenger. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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