Golden North announces move to Murray Bridge

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The rumours were true – ice cream manufacturing company Golden North is moving to Murray Bridge.

The century-old South Australian firm announced on Wednesday afternoon that it would close its factory at Laura by June 2026.

Its new base of operations will be the former Beston Foods factory on Maurice Road, Murray Bridge, which was left vacant by the dairy company’s collapse last year.

That means Golden North’s tubs of ice cream, and the iconic Giant Twins, will be made here in the Murraylands.

Former X Convenience tycoon Steve Kosmidis, who purchased the factory site several months ago, will gain a share of ownership of Golden North as part of the deal.

Golden North director Dimi Kyriazis said the changes would better position the company for growth into new markets and product categories while keeping it in SA.

“This is a pivotal time for Golden North,” he said.

“We’re investing in the future of South Australian dairy, preserving our legacy while embracing innovation.

“This change in our business direction will mean that Golden North has the opportunity to not only be a national brand but can truly scale to global markets.

“We are very keen to work with all stakeholders within the dairy supply chain to ensure the ongoing success of the South Australian dairy industry.”

Company had had its eye on Murray Bridge for a while

In an exclusive chat with Murray Bridge News, Mr Kyriazis said Golden North had started seriously considering the move as soon as Beston went into administration.

“We’d always thought, in the back of our mind, that that factory would be great for Golden North,” he said.

“It’s close to the cows (in the Murraylands and Fleurieu), it’s close to the highway to the east coast and it’s close to Adelaide.

“When that opportunity became a reality, we acted on it straight away.”

The state government will provide an undisclosed amount of financial assistance to make the move.

That didn’t mean the decision to leave Laura had been easy, Mr Kyriazis said – in fact, Golden North had continued to upgrade its facility there until the end of 2024.

The company would make various improvements to the Murray Bridge factory over the next 12 months, he said, including:

• a retail outlet
• an upgraded refrigeration system
• refurbished offices
• landscaping to make the site look more welcoming

“We’re a food business, so you need to make sure you look the goods,” he said.

“We want that factory to be a place people drive past and think ‘wow, I wouldn’t mind working there’.”

Much of Beston’s old cheesemaking equipment still remained at the factory, Mr Kyriazis said, and in time, Golden North might put some of it to use.

There was a chance we might see Golden North-branded cheese on supermarket shelves a few years down the line.

But for now, ice cream will remain the company’s only focus.

“We’ve got to get in and get comfortable with ice cream,” Mr Kyriazis said.

“Ice cream is what will pay the bills.

“There’ll be an opportunity to explore other categories in dairy down the line, but we haven’t made any firm decisions yet.”

There was room enough on the factory floor to install all the necessary ice cream manufacturing lines without having to remove anything else, he said.

Golden North’s Murray Bridge factory will employ a similar number of staff to its current facility: about 80 people, or the equivalent of 50 full-time positions.

However, some of those jobs will be different.

The new factory will use more modern, automated equipment on its production line; but some of the functions Golden North had outsourced at Laura, such as logistics and order picking, will be brought in house.

Employees at Laura will be offered a chance to relocate, but former Beston staff and other qualified locals will get a crack at some of the jobs, too.

As many as 150 people were employed at the Murray Bridge and Jervois dairy factories prior to Beston’s collapse.

Move will boost the Lower Murray’s dairy industry

A key reason for Golden North’s shift into the Murraylands was the region’s proximity to South Australia’s dairy producers, most of whom are along the Lower Murray or in the southern Fleurieu.

The cost of transporting milk up to the Mid North, and products back south – a 600-kilometre round trip – had been prohibitive, Mr Kyriazis suggested.

He suggested that the local dairy industry would need to increase its output to meet demand.

“We’ve already started to reach out to that community,” he said.

“We want farmers to be part of our journey.

“We want to signal to them: Golden North is coming, you’re going to need more cows.

“We can’t pay Beston’s debts, but we can be a business that they can sell to, and hopefully we’ll all grow together.”

SA Dairyfarmers Association president Rob Brokenshire said the relocation would help the entire industry.

“The SA dairy industry needs a long-shelf-life milk processor, and Golden North’s move to Murray Bridge will enable this to occur,” he said.

Investment will be ‘fantastic’ for the community

Golden North’s move will return Murray Bridge to its rightful place as South Australia’s ice cream capital after a 40-year hiatus.

Ice cream sold under the Freesia brand was produced at a factory on Seventh Street, Murray Bridge from the 1930s until the 1980s.

Murray Bridge Mayor Wayne Thorley welcomed the “fantastic” investment in the community.

“It’s good to see the facility, the factory … is going to have a new life,” he said.

“When you have a business at the size and scale of Beston fall over, it makes everyone anxious.

“It’s really important to have confidence in the community going forward, and it bodes well for the dairy industry along the Lower Murray, a very important industry in our community.

“It adds to our repertoire as the food bowl of SA … milk, meat and mushrooms.”

• More information: goldennorth.com.au.