A fair shake of the sauce bottle

By Carly Marriott

May 19, 2023

Manger & O’Neill began making sauce in Echuca 125 years ago, today it trades as MON at Barooga

Shepparton has SPC, Lemnos has Campbell’s and Barooga? Barooga has MON Natural Foods and MON Vinegar.

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MON, an Australian company that began as Manger & O’Neill in Echuca, has been in the sauce making game for 125 years.

Now based in Barooga in what was the Brentwood Fruit Juice factory, the team at MON has had a busy decade since moving there in 2012.

MON is well positioned to source most of its key ingredients such as tomatoes, eggs and canola oil from local producers, however sugar is brought in from cane cutter country in Queensland.

But despite locals nicknaming the operation, ‘the sauce factory,’ MON has established itself as a serious player in the vinegar game.

Operations and sales manager Troy Schlink is in the know when it comes to producing 150,000 litres of vinegar per week.

“The fermentation process is delicate. You cannot stop production or you risk losing the lot,” Troy said.

Vinegar is a natural preservative and according to Troy, this is important to the consumer.

“During lockdown, people must have been reading the ingredient labels on their pantry items because we’ve seen a real spike in demand for natural vinegar which is made from a grain ethanol sourced from Manildra,” he said.

Vinegar is used in bread as a mould retardant, in condiments such as MON products and more recently in the animal feed sector.

“I remember back in the day people gave race horses apple cider vinegar so they wouldn’t suffer from colic,” Troy said.

“That old knowledge is now being tested in feedlots and dairies with great results.

It’s a natural additive that can help animals balance gut health and reduce reliance on antibiotics.”

When Country News spoke to site manager Howard Green, he was able to rattle off a shopping list of dressings, with some new top shelf items gaining attention in supermarkets.

“Our staple products are tomato and barbecue sauce and mayonnaise. We have branded MON products in Aldi, Coles, Woolworths and Costco and a premium line, Manger & O’Neill available in Aldi too,” he said.

According to Howard, the successful expansion of the organic mayonnaise line is also proving that hard work pays off.

Long-term MON employees Nancy Nicosia and Margaret Healy were quick to point out their favourite sauces on the display shelf in the factory reception.

With Worcester Style Steak Sauce in hand, the pair agreed it was satisfying being part of the food supply chain.

“You look at what you’ve made after a shift and you know you’ve achieved something, it’s a great feeling,” Nancy said.

Howard welcomed any community group in need of sauce for fundraisers or catering to reach out to MON.

And as they say at MON, “may the sauce be with you”.