The ginger and tourism assets of the Buderim Group, with its corporate offices in Milton, will be sold for $13 million to the Himstedt Family. The former owner of Queen Fine Foods outbids Global Foods Group’s $8.3 million offer last June.
The sale is expected to close in September, subject to regulatory approvals. Included in the deal are all of Buderim Group’s ginger brands: The Ginger Factory in Yandina, Ginger Head Quarters Pty Ltd, and Frespac Ginger (Fiji) Pte Ltd.
Buderim Group Chairman Guy Cowan said that the company is pleased to turn over its ginger assets to a “renowned family in the foods business.”
In 1978, the Himstedt family bought Queen Vanilla, Australia’s largest producer of baking aids, vanilla extracts and food colouring, and maintained its quality as a top-selling food brand in the supermarket in Australia and abroad. In 2015, Dr Oetker, a multinational German company acquired Queen Fine Foods from the Himstedt family with the sons holding key positions in the company.
Tom Himstedt said that they are excited about their prospects as the “next custodian” of an “iconic Queensland business.”
Current workers and staff in the ginger division will be retained, including Buderim Ginger CEO Andrew Bond.
Meanwhile, the sale will enable Buderim Group to completely shift its focus to the macadamia business. Before selling the ginger assets, 60 percent of the company’s sales in recent years came from their macadamia brands, MacFarms and Royal Hawaiian Orchards. The company plans to tap health and plant-based markets following the sale’s completion.