Remarkable Regional Business

Michael Robertson & Marc Smith, JL King & Co (Part Two)

Remarkable Regional Business – Episode 46 (Part Two)  Guest: Michael Robertson & Marc Smith Business Name: JL King & Co Website: https://www.jlking.com.au/ [https://www.jlking.com.au/]   By the time they moved back to Bendigo they had already outgrown the new facility. And they hadn't even moved in yet. In Part Two of this conversation on Remarkable Regional Business, Caleb Maxwell continues the discussion with Michael Robertson and Marc Smith from JL King and Co. The conversation moves into greater detail of how to build and run a food manufacturing business at a serious scale. Michael talks through the chaos of operating across six different sheds around Bendigo before the new facility was built, how the Simply Tasty brand came together, and the process behind developing and launching new products. Including a crazy lasagna soup that came from a Chicago supermarket visit but flopped in Australia. Marc brings his perspective as the recently appointed CFO on what the business needs to get to the next level, from systems and data to taking some of the load off a managing director still emailing late into the night. Topics Covered / The Simply Tasty brand How the name was chosen by a vote of ten people and what the product range looks like today across salads, baked dishes, pasta, Asian style meals and pub meals. / Contract manufacturing at scale How JL King and Co produces 24 products for IGA's private label brand and manufactures a Woolworths salad line up the entire east coast of Australia. / New product development How trends, overseas travel, buyer relationships and customer feedback drive the product pipeline, and what happens when a Chicago-inspired lasagna soup flops in 6 months. / Building and outgrowing the new facility The chaos of six different sheds, the decision to build, and what the move to the new site has made possible. / Letting go as an owner/operator Why Michael still holds on to more than he probably should, why the new facility made him want to hold on tighter, and what Marc’s role is helping to change that. / What's next for JL King and Co Systems, data, sustainability, solar expansion, packaging improvements and the growth strategy taking shape right now. Watch Part One to hear the full origin story of JL King and Co, how a competitor's phone call changed it all, and how customer demand turned a produce wholesaler into one of regional Victoria's most significant food manufacturers. // Links https://www.jlking.com.au/ [https://www.jlking.com.au/]

Michael Robertson & Marc Smith, JL King & Co (Part One)

Remarkable Regional Business – Episode 46 (Part One)  Guest: Michael Robertson & Marc Smith Business Name: JL King & Co Website: https://www.jlking.com.au/ [https://www.jlking.com.au/]   He got a phone call from the man he was competing against. “Come and have a chat.” And that one conversation changed a whole lot for JL King and Co. In this conversation on Remarkable Regional Business, Caleb Maxwell sits down with Michael Robertson, managing director and owner of JL King and Co, and Marc Smith, the recently appointed CFO. JL King and Co is a family owned food manufacturing and distribution business based in Bendigo that has been part of the region for over a century. Today it produces more than two million meals a week and distributes across the entire country from Broome to Hobart. Michael traces the journey from an eight pallet truck running to the Melbourne market twice a week with docket books and a calculator, to one of the most significant food manufacturing operations in regional Victoria. The business grew one request at a time, from slicing cabbage to cooking potatoes to building a full manufacturing operation from the ground up. Topics Covered / What JL King and Co is today A Bendigo based food manufacturing and distribution business producing more than two million meals a week and supplying customers across every state in Australia. / The history of JL King Over a century in Bendigo, from the King family through to the Quinn family, and how Michael Robertson came to take over the business as a competitor in 1997. / How manufacturing started The customer led evolution from fresh produce wholesaling to coleslaw, to cooked potatoes, to a full prepared meals operation with its own chef and product range. / Simply Tasty and the brand story How a vote among ten people produced the name that now appears on shelves in IGA, Woolworths and delis across Australia. / Community investment in Bendigo From sporting club sponsorships to the McKean McGregor Ball raising close to a million dollars for the hospital are just some of the ways JL King and Co supports the Bendigo community. / Why they chose to stay in Bendigo Despite supplying more prepared food into Queensland than Victoria and even conversations with the Queensland government about grants, Bendigo was always the place to be. This is Part One of the conversation with Michael Robertson and Marc Smith from JL King and Co. Continue to Part Two to hear how the Simply Tasty brand came to life, what it takes to build a food manufacturing operation at scale, and where the business is headed next. // Links https://www.jlking.com.au/ [https://www.jlking.com.au/]

Phil McConachy, The Mill Castlemaine (Part Two)

Remarkable Regional Business – Episode 45 (Part Two)  Guest: Phil McConachy  Business Name: The Mill Castlemaine  Website: https://millcastlemaine.com.au/ [https://millcastlemaine.com.au/]   Don't let the humility fool you. Phil McConachy is a mastermind. In Part Two of this conversation on Remarkable Regional Business, Caleb Maxwell continues the discussion with Phil McConachy from The Mill at Castlemaine. The conversation shifts from what The Mill is to how Phil got there, what shaped his thinking, and what it actually takes to build something that becomes a genuine asset to a regional town. Phil talks through the years of farming and raising four sons in Castlemaine, how the skills from his earth moving days turned out to be exactly what he needed when he bought The Mill, and the philosophy behind everything from how he looks after tenants to how he supports the local community. Topics Covered / What the earth moving business taught him Problem solving, communication, and paying people well enough that they give blood when you need it. / Moving to Castlemaine and the farming years How a compass on a map between two sets of parents led Phil and his family to Castlemaine in 1999, and what twenty years of farming and raising four boys taught him. / Community investment and why Phil doesn't see it as an exchange From footy club sponsorships to indigenous organisations to the Botanical Gardens, how Phil thinks about giving back to the town the Mill calls home. / The flood mitigation system nobody asked him to build Why Phil designed a full flood protection system for one of his buildings before he would morally rent it out. / The future of The Mill What is being built right now, who is moving in, and what Phil hopes the site looks like in fifty years even if he won't be around to see it. / Business wisdom from a man who built something remarkable without a plan Human resources as the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity. Communication as a craft. And why Phil always tells new tenants to dream big before they worry about what it costs. Watch Part One to hear the full story of The Mill at Castlemaine, how it came to be, and the remarkable collection of businesses that call it home. // Links   [https://www.anther.com.au/]https://millcastlemaine.com.au/ [https://millcastlemaine.com.au/]

Phil McConachy, The Mill Castlemaine (Part One)

Remarkable Regional Business – Episode 45 (Part One)  Guest: Phil McConachy  Business Name: The Mill Castlemaine  Website: https://millcastlemaine.com.au/ [https://millcastlemaine.com.au/]   He had no grand vision. He put a sign on the fence saying places for lease and just waited to see who came. In Part One of this conversation on Remarkable Regional Business, Caleb Maxwell sits down with Phil McConachy, the owner and developer of The Mill at Castlemaine. Seven and a half hectares, nine thousand square metres of buildings and forty five tenants ranging from a world class cafe and brewery through to clothing makers, potters, knife makers and a vintage bazaar with over 118 stall holders. All built from a former woolen mill that started in 1875 and burnt down three times. Phil is one of the most remarkable people Caleb has sat down with on this show. Phil was a house dad and farmer for twenty years who needed to get back into the community and use his skills for good. What he built in the process is one of the greatest and most loved regional commercial precincts in Victoria. Topics Covered / What The Mill at Castlemaine actually is A town within a town. How 45 tenants across food, health, education, trade and retail came together on a heritage site over eleven years. / The origin story of The Mill How a multinational decided it no longer needed the site, and how Phil ended up with it after some negotiation and a bit of luck. / How Phil selects tenants No grand plan. A sign on the fence, a gut feel, and a commitment to the planning scheme. / The Castlemaine Vintage Bazaar How 118 stall holders operate within a simple square meterage and commission model, and what separates the ones doing really well from the ones just there for the social side. / Tenant success stories From Shed Shaker Brewing to Wonder Pants to Caboose Chocolates, businesses that have grown on the site and what they have in common. / Phil's background before the Mill Fitter and machinist at Ford at sixteen. Earth moving business owner at twenty five. Farmer and house dad for twenty years. This is Part One of the conversation with Phil McConachy from The Mill at Castlemaine. Continue to Part Two to hear how Phil's earlier business life shaped everything that came after, what he has learned about running a place like this, and where The Mill is headed next. // Links https://millcastlemaine.com.au/ [https://millcastlemaine.com.au/]

Derv McGowan, Anther Geelong Distillery (Part Two)

Remarkable Regional Business – Episode 44 (Part Two)  Guest: Derv McGowan  Business Name: Anther Geelong Distillery Website: https://anther.com.au/ [https://anther.com.au/]   They lost 80% of their business overnight. Their response was to give away gin every week and go door to door delivering bottles to strangers. In Part Two of this conversation on Remarkable Regional Business, Caleb Maxwell continues the discussion with Derv McGowan from Anther Distillery in Geelong. The conversation picks up at the moment COVID hit, when Anther was about to press go on building their own distillery and the bottom fell out of the industry they'd spent four years building a business in. What came next is a story about resilience, diversification, and finding out what you actually know that other people will pay for. Derv also shares two of the most remarkable product collaborations you'll hear about on this show, one with the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne for their 175th anniversary, and one with the Australian Gynecological Cancer Foundation that has educated thousands of people about cancer at a gin tasting. Topics Covered / Surviving COVID as a small distillery How government support, a rebuilt website, doorstep gin deliveries and a weekly cocktail competition kept Anther alive and connected to its community. / Building the distillery during a pandemic How the generosity of the Hamilton family and their network of trades made it possible when nothing else was moving. / Diversifying beyond gin sales Contract distilling, recipe development, agave spirits research and safety consulting, how Anther turned its accumulated knowledge into new revenue streams. / The current state of the gin industry Why the post COVID recovery never fully arrived for boutique spirits, what is happening at retail level right now, and why Anther has pulled back to protect the brand while it waits for the market to turn. / Leadership lessons from building a business Knowing yourself, knowing your business partner, and why fitting the right people to the right roles took longer than it should have. / The collaborations Fluorescence with the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne and the gin that has raised awareness of gynecological cancers at thousands of tastings across the country. Watch Part One to hear how Anther started, how gin is actually made, and what the golden years of the Australian gin boom really looked like from the inside. // Links https://www.anther.com.au/ [https://www.anther.com.au/]