Siddharth Jani (Sid) first came to Australia from India in 2019 on a work trip. The company he worked for – part of the dairy industry – were looking to expand their business to include dairy manufacturing. Sid, therefore, found himself in Australia as part of a company delegation exploring opportunities. But when 2020 rolled around, plans were abandoned for ‘pandemic reasons’ – nothing came of it. Sid, however, remained on a few commercial real estate email lists!
Flash forward to 2022.
Sid, in India, receives an email about an investment opportunity that catches his eye: It’s a factory with dairy-producing capabilities in Tongala, Victoria, which until 2021 had been owned and operated by Nestlé.
Sid decided to hand in an EOI, not on behalf of the company he worked for, but to create a new business of his own. The EOI was accepted and with it came the prospect of a life decision that Sid explains was very difficult to make along with his wife and two young children. His nine-year old daughter told him, “You have a dream and I will support you!” And so in May of 2023 Sid returned to Australia to inspect the property.
He requested a due diligence agreement that would give him six months to learn everything he could about the site before making a long-term commitment. It was accepted – in fact, the day that Sid chats with Invest Loddon Mallee marks the anniversary of the six months. He and his young family have decided to stay in Australia and continue to build Tongala Nutrition.
New beginnings
Tongala Nutrition looks to be in operation in September or October of 2024. Sid says that he was prepared to spend six to nine months recommissioning the site after Nestlé ceased operation in 2021. He’s happy that eight of his currently 12-person team are previously Nestlé employees and have unique knowledge to share: “All of them come with so much excitement and energy,” says Sid, who feels very supported by the new team and their abilities. “I mean, technically, the future will decide whether I made a smart move. But so far, so good!”
Sid’s vision for the future of Tongala Nutrition is to be a strong influence in the nutrition space. “I want to make the world a healthier place to live by creating, manufacturing and innovating new products that could actually change the lives of people – not only in Australia but globally.” Coming from India, and with 15 years of experience in the dairy industry, Sid’s well aware of the quality of Australian milk, and through manufacturing high-grade products sees the huge potential in taking that quality to the world. His goal is to “keep innovating, keep trying new things”.
The site
The Tongala Nutrition team plan to finish recommissioning the site and start production by October 2024, but Sid’s already excited about the future beyond that. The site not only includes a factory but also boasts 51 hectares of agricultural land that Sid envisions transforming into a solar farm to power the factory – and potentially even more. “The site currently uses gas, but we aim to switch to solar energy within a couple of years and already have an interested partner for this project,” Sid explains.
These developments appeal to Sid because sustainability and reducing environmental impact is a core vision for the company – the fact the site already had Tetra Pak packaging infrastructure, which requires significantly less energy to produce than other packaging, was a key investment incentive. Sid also likes the fact that the Loddon Mallee region, more widely, is proactive in their renewables vision and is hopeful the local council will be supportive of the solar initiative as a result. In addition, Sid’s also excited by the idea of giving back by creating more employment opportunities in the area. “We’re taking things one step at a time, but hopefully we can grow and keep generating more and more work.”
The Tongala dairy plant has over 100 years of rich history, delivering the highest quality dairy products globally. The facility is equipped with world-class Tetra Pak processing and packaging machineries, and state-of-the-art technology, which adheres to stringent quality standards. As new custodians of this historical plant, we endeavour to bring new and exciting products to consumers all over the world.
To learn more about Tongala Nutrition and keep up with their journey, visit them here.
Or, learn more about advanced manufacturing in the Loddon Mallee and Campaspe Shire where Tongala Nutrition is based. If you have questions about starting-up or moving a business to the Loddon Mallee region, visit our Contact page to connect with expert local support.
