Explore Korumburra by KCDA

Korumburra Community Development & Action Inc

You are here: Home / Community Announcements / Korumburra Butter Factory – now Burra Foods

Korumburra Butter Factory – now Burra Foods

·

butter factory opening 1900
Opening of Butter Factory, 1900
Korumburra Butter Factory Cart
image credit: Marion Taylor
Korumburra Butter Factory 1920s
Korumburra Butter Factory 1920s
milk cans korumburra butter factory 1943
milk cans outside Korumburra Butter Factory, 1 Oct 1943
Butter from the churns Korumburra Butter Factory 1943
Butter coming from the churns at the Korumburra Butter Factory – 1943
Korumburra Butter Factory 1955
former Korumburra Butter Factory 1955
Korumburra Butter Factory - historic
Korumburra Butter factory credit: John Young Collection
?s=BURRA+FOODS
empty factory – 1979

Beginnings – discussions about the Butter Factory

The Butter Factory was a source of discussion for many years before it came into existence. There are multiple reports of meetings held to work out how it was to be formed, dating as far back as 1892. The Butter Factory eventually opened in 1901.

5 Oct 1899 butter factory discussion
From the Great Southern Advocate,
5 October 1899

Korumburra Butter Factory.

A very large meeting of gentlemen was held at the Farmers’ Club rooms on Monday night last, to take steps towards the establishing of a ButterFactory in the town of Korumburra. Only one opinion existed, viz., that a factory would be a really good thing for the town and district, but different opinions existed as to details. These can be easily arranged. The prospectus goes very fully into what is necessary, and is prepared to take in more than the butter making alone. However, as things progress, it will be for the promoters to extend their ramifications. Everything must have a beginning, and undoubtedly a good start has been made. If it is the intention of the directors to call up but 1500 paid by shares, they must necessarily be careful in their first expenditure because money must be in hand to pay the producers for the cream supplied for at least a fortnight. If resort is made for advances from Melbourne firms, interest has to be paid on it, or allowances in another way, so it might be just as well for the sup-pliers to take up a sufficient number of shares and so keep the business in their own hands. The additional bonus to be distributed at the end of the year would be increased thereby. A very lengthy report of the meeting is published in another column.

The Korumburra Butter Factory opened officially in 1901, and continued operations until 1975. In the 60’s and 70’s the factory withstood multiple mergers, and in 1975 Murray Goulburn closed the factory to consolidate operations to Leongatha.

In 1991 Burra Foods re-opened in the old butter factory, initially employing just 6 people.

In 2016, international dairy farming company Inner Mongolia Fuyuan International Industrial (Group) Co Ltd assumed majority ownership. Founder Grant Crothers. and Japan-based Itochu Corporation and still hold a combined 21% ownership of the company.

Today the company employs over 200 people and exports dairy products to Asia and the Middle East.

For a period in the early 1900s there were two butter factories in Korumburra. If anyone can add details, locations, images etc to this story, pls let us know.