The well-known King Island dairy and its associated cheese brand will disappear next year. The owner, a multi-national corporation based in Canada, says it was a 'difficult decision' but after 10 months of unsuccessfully searching for a buyer it will commence a final season of operation.
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00:00It's a really sad day for cheese lovers, but also the King Island community.
00:06There's been some form of King Island dairy on the island for more than 120 years, but
00:12that will end in the middle of next year when the brand is discontinued and the factory
00:16closed.
00:17Now, Canadian dairy giant Saputo owns the King Island dairy.
00:22It's been reviewing the operations of the dairy for 10 months now, including selling
00:27it off to a third party.
00:29It says it considered every option, but this is the only viable way forward.
00:33It says although its other Tasmanian cheese brands are going really well and despite King
00:38Island dairy having a connection with locals, it just wasn't cutting through in the ultra
00:42competitive food market anymore.
00:45So how many employees will lose their jobs?
00:48Joe, the company has 58 employees who will be directly impacted.
00:53Saputo says it will do its best to redeploy those workers and we'll hear a little bit
00:57more about their plans to do that a little bit later on.
01:01But it's not just the direct employees.
01:03There are people on the island who supply milk to the dairy.
01:07The estimates are there are about 70 or 80 people on the island who rely on King Island
01:14dairy out of a population of about 1500.
01:17That's a big amount.
01:18Yeah.
01:19And so is this the end of the road for the cheese factory and just how much of an impact
01:24is going is this going to have on the island as a whole?
01:27Joe, locals really hope not.
01:30It's been a really tough year, 2024 for King Island.
01:34They've had severe droughts for most of the year, just got lashed by storms last week.
01:39And they've had this decision hanging over their heads for 10 months now, only to find
01:43out that the brand's going to be discontinued and the factory closed.
01:46They really hope that even if the brand dies, that they can find a buyer for the factory.
01:52I spoke to King Island Mayor Marcus Blackie before.
01:55He was really devastated, but trying to find the silver lining.
01:59Here's a little bit of what he had to say.
02:01The second last chapter of a book is never the end.
02:04There is the potential for someone out there who has admired King Island dairy from afar
02:08to possibly come in and still rescue the brand yet.
02:11So I pray and hope that might happen.
02:13But either way, we will get through this together on King Island.
02:17Joe, cheese is one of the things that King Island is most known for, alongside beef and
02:22gulf tourism most recently.
02:26Locals really hope that that connection between cheese and King Island can continue in the
02:30years to come.
02:31The state government's announced a task force and hopes to be able to find a buyer.
02:35So fingers crossed and we'll wait and see what happens in the coming months.