Tongala Nutrition production manager Shannon Tucker runs a guided tour of the facility.
Photo by
Nicholas Spandler
Three years after the Nestlé factory fell silent, the familiar hum of machinery and the return of dozens of local workers is signalling a new chapter for Tongala.
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A $1.5 million Victorian Government grant sees Tongala Nutrition breathing new life into the old site.
The grant is part of the government’s $150 million Victorian Investment Fund.
Victorian Treasurer and Regional Development Minister Jaclyn Symes.
Photo by
Brynne Timewell
Victorian Treasurer Jaclyn Symes said the decision to back Tongala Nutrition was shaped by real stories of locals who were forced to leave the area after the Nestlé closure, and the chance to bring opportunities back.
“A lot of companies can close, strip out and not really leave it for somebody to step in as easily as happened here,” Ms Symes said.
“But to hear the story of people returning to work, people that worked here for 40 years and then weren’t working here after Nestlé left but came back, because they know of the business.
‘’You’ve got local businesses, local people coming back to the business.”
Tongala Nutrition production manager Shannon Tucker.
Photo by
Brynne Timewell
Tongala Nutrition production manager Shannon Tucker said the resurgence and expansion of the facility had transformed employment opportunities in the town.
“I used to travel 50 minutes to Shepparton for work — now it’s five minutes down the road,” he said.
“To be able to get this site back up and running again is incredibly exciting for the town.”
The facility employs about 30 staff, with the joint investment creating 40 more job opportunities and the factory aiming for 100 employees across the next year.
Workers who once thought they’d never again swipe their pass at the Tongala Factory are stepping back into roles that offer a sense of identity and pride.
Rod Donoghue, who stepped back into the site after working there in the 1990s, said the reopening of the facility was significant for the community.
“This facility isn’t short of ideas or opportunity ... it’s about getting the legs under it and building from there,” he said.
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