Anchor Foods has received the overall prize at the inaugural Westpac Food and Beverage Industry Awards held last week.
Anchor Foods has received the overall prize at the inaugural Westpac Food and Beverage Industry Awards held last week.
The Fremantle-based company was awarded the Westpac Best Business Award, as well as winning the Innovation Category Award for its Lighthouse Special Purpose Flours.
Hosted by the Food Industry Association of WA, family-owned Casa Dairy Products won the Best Retail Product category while Mundella Foods, another family-owned Perth business which relaunched itself as "Your Probiotic Company" won the Best Marketing Campaign award for this campaign.
One of Western Australia's oldest companies and most recognised brands, Anchor reinvented itself after being returned to Western Australian ownership two years ago.
Established 154 years ago the company increased sales by more than 250 per cent to over $35 million in 2007/08.
The increases followed the repackaging and launch of more than 450 of its products.
The Anchor brand is one of Australia's oldest trademarks and the company provides direct and indirect employment for more than 460 Western Australians.
The Export Category Winner was Perth-based Safeguard Innovations with The Albany Farmers Markets taking out the Best Service to Industry Award.
Freshcorp secured the Best Food Service Category award and The Craig Mostyn Group, WA's largest processor of fresh pork and a major exporter to Asia and the United States, won the award in the Environment and Sustainability category.
FIA chief executive Andrea Berteit said the Association had been overwhelmed by the number of companies which nominated for the inaugural awards.
"The achievements of these companies is indicative of just what our WA industry can offer to consumers and the WA community, and the importance of creating value beyond the farm gate," she said.
The Association, which was launched in November last year and is the State's peak food and beverage industry body, is dedicated to helping the State's 950-plus food and beverage manufacturers increase their sales over the next decade beyond the current level of $5.5 billion.