Lockyer Valley Foods is rallying the region this Monday for a landmark fundraising event aimed at propelling its ambitious plan to build a $400 million food processing plant in Withcott, the heart of the Lockyer Valley in Queensland.
Since 2011, vegetable and fruit growers there have lacked a local processing facility, which has forced them to send produce interstate or offshore, meaning lost value and wasted opportunity.
Lockyer Valley Foods was established to change that.
It has already secured land (55 hectares in Withcott) and approvals for development and pre-construction operational works.
Founder and CEO Colin Dorber said the proposed facility would benefit growers in the Lockyer Valley – ‘Australia’s salad bowl’ – as well as neighbouring regions such as the Darling Downs and Fassifern, effectively boosting food security and local industry.
If expectations are met for this funding round, Mr Dorber is hopeful earthworks will begin “mid to late next year” with a view to processing beetroot and pineapple in 2027.
“This is one of the most fertile growing regions in the world and is a major contributor, year-round, to Australia’s produce needs, both fresh and processed,” he said.
“This facility delivers a secure food future for our country, long-term growth and security for our producers and a major reduction in waste and emissions.
“It really is win-win-win.”
In all, 100 people are registered to attend Monday’s fundraiser at the Toowoomba Regional Investor Showcase 2025.
The event will serve multiple objectives: raising working capital, increasing local grower awareness and engagement and building momentum for the plant’s development.
Once completed, the facility will feature steel can production, freezing, juicing, powdering capabilities, a pallet-manufacturing plant recycling plastic waste and a bio-methane plant processing green waste, with the ambition of being fully off-grid.
For growers, the message is clear: the plant promises to buy up to 100 per cent of their produce under long-term supply contracts and keep more value in the region rather than exporting raw product.
A recent survey from AUSVEG, shows one in three Queensland vegetable growers were reportedly considering quitting the industry due to lack of processing options and wasted produce.
Lockyer Valley Foods’ development is positioned as a solution to this systemic challenge.
“It will be a state-of-the-art facility,” Mr Dorber said.
“Very high technology with robots, human staff and a model that allows farmers to deliver their product 24-7 in an automated delivery process.
“We can save the growers and give them a future that’s profitable. (Their) kids might even stay on the farm.
“We know the markets are there. We probably can’t compete with the Chinese price necessarily, but one wonders how long those subsidies and/ or the dumping of their products in Australia will be allowed to continue.
“If we do this right – and we’ll be close to (the Chinese) on price – we’ll be offering Australians a chance to buy Australian-grown products and save the fruit and vegetable industry.”
The Monday fundraiser is, therefore, more than a local event, it is a high-stakes step in securing the region’s agribusiness future.
For growers who have long lacked local processing options, its success may help determine both the facility’s feasibility, as well as the future of regional sourcing, job creation and value-retention in Queensland’s ‘salad bowl’.
The community, growers and investors alike will be watching the outcome with interest.
* The Toowoomba Regional Investor Showcase 2025 is at the Armitage centre at the Empire Theatre, Toowoomba on 3 November, 10:30am to 3.30pm.
* The event is free and includes lunch and networking.
