Private-equity-owned Kilcoy Global Foods (KGF) has expanded its operations by acquiring a burger manufacturing facility in Australia previously owned by Tyson Foods.
The company, which is based in Queensland and specializes in processing grain- and grass-fed beef, as well as lamb and goat meat, completed the purchase of the Coominya site on October 28. Specific financial details of the transaction remain undisclosed.
Located in Queensland and in proximity to KGF’s Kilcoy facility, the Coominya plant is a supplier of beef patties to McDonald’s and has the capacity to produce approximately three million patties daily for both local consumption and export to Asia.
Jiah Falcke, KGF’s president in Australia, remarked, “The potential business synergies are exceptional. We’ve been supplying to Coominya for more than 20 years.” He further noted, “The Coominya team has the same high standards that we do and for us the fit made perfect business sense.”
In recent months, Tyson Foods has been streamlining its operations, selling off various plants and reducing staff. The latest move was the announcement in August of Tyson’s divestment from a minority share in an Indian joint venture with Godrej Agrovet. That same month, reports surfaced about planned layoffs affecting as many as 1,000 workers at its Wilkesboro plant in North Carolina. Additionally, previous transactions included the sale of a poultry complex in Georgia to fellow processor House of Raeford Farms. Earlier this year, Tyson revealed the closure of a pork facility in Perry, Iowa, which could put over 1,000 jobs at risk.
In contrast, KGF is poised to invest further in the Coominya facility, although specific plans have not been publicly detailed. Founded in 1953 by the Kennedy family as the Kilcoy Pastoral Company, KGF underwent a rebranding in 2013 after being acquired by the China-based private equity firm Hosen Capital.
Since that time, KGF has executed several M&A deals, expanding its footprint in the US, China, and Australia. Notably, the company acquired Ruprecht Co. in the US in 2014, followed by Weidao Foods in China the subsequent year, and Greenswift in China in 2019. In Australia, KGF acquired Hardwicks, a grass-fed beef processor, in 2021, and added another plant in Lance Creek, Victoria, in 2022.
KGF’s portfolio includes several leading brands such as Kilcoy Diamond, Ebony Black Angus, Carrara Wagyu, and Hardwicks.
