HS Fresh Food finds buyer after voluntary administration

IN potential good news for Tasmania’s food manufacturing sector, HS Fresh Food has been bought by PM Fresh.

The sale comes in the wake of HS Fresh group entering voluntary administration last month.

Three family-run businesses make up the HS Fresh Food Group; Houston’s Farm in Tasmania, Sunfresh in South Australia, and JMark in Western Australia. 

With a broad range of growing and processing capacities, Houston’s has been growing salad products in south east Tasmania for the past 25 years, supplying the major supermarkets with products including packaged salad leaves.

The group employ over 300 staff across their multiple sites nation-wide.

Ben Campbell, Joanne Dunn, and Vaughan Strawbridge of FTI Consulting were named as the administrators on June 14 and announced the final sale agreement on Monday July 8.

The transaction is expected to be completed by July 31, 2024. 

“Until this time the business will continue to operate under the control of the Administrators,” the administrators said in a statement.

“The sale process resulted in a number of expressions of interest and non-binding indicative offers being received, but the PM Fresh offer was the best offer received.”

Employees of HS Fresh Food Group were briefed on the sale during meetings held on Tuesday, July 9, 2024. 

“The final number of employees being offered future employment under the sale has yet to be communicated, as this will not be known until transition plans are finalised which are expected to be done over the next three weeks.”

Photo by Heather Barnes