After a worldwide search, Shepparton Partners Collective, the owner of SPC, has appointed South African Neil Brimacombe as its new CEO.
Mr Brimacombe joins SPC from Consumer Rock International in Johannesburg, which partners with fast-moving consumer goods companies (FMCG) across the African continent to help them pursue commercial opportunities.
He was the founder and managing director of Consumer Rock International, and has held executive and board positions with companies operating across a broad range of African countries.
Despite his broad international experience, Mr Brimacombe said the historical and economic significance of SPC to the Goulburn Valley was not lost on him.
“We recognise that SPC is a fundamental part of the Shepparton and Goulburn Valley community so there’s loads of history, loads of nostalgia and remaining fundamentally part of that community is integral to who we are in the future.
“So obviously our growers, our suppliers, are our business partners and we’re inextricably joined at the hip,” he said.
“From that perspective, the journey we take and innovation and continued improvement, and taking Australian manufacturing to the world, is something we’re going to do... but absolutely we remain committed to the Goulburn Valley and the community.”
Shepparton Partners Collective bought the SPC brand, products and production line infrastructure in 2019 from Coca-Cola Amatil.
At the time, the new owner committed to maintaining SPC operations, which started out as a fruit growers’ co-operative in Shepparton more than 100 years ago, in the Goulburn Valley.
Mr Brimacombe said he sees the company continuing in the region for the long-term.
“Yes I do, and from that perspective, we remain absolutely committed to be part of the fabric of both the Shepparton and Goulburn Valley community as well as part of Australia’s branded fabric, of course,” he said.
“There’s absolutely a core of the SPC business, which is fundamentally the canned fruit business and I don’t foresee that necessarily changing.”
Since the buy-out, the company has expanded its product line, including sparkling water varieties and Vegemite-flavoured baked beans.
It’s also bought a frozen foods business, which supplies the healthcare sector.
Mr Brimacombe said it was the hope that the incoming fruit season was a vast improvement on the last one, which was hit by storms and floods.
“We’ve just come off a particularly disappointing season where weather events conspired against the extended agri-processing value chain and, from that perspective, had a significant negative impact on the intake of fruit quality and volume,” he said.
“To the extent that those adverse weather patterns are with us, we don’t anticipate that at this stage. On the contrary, we’re looking forward to a reasonably more constructive year in that regard.”
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