By Laura Michell
More than 100 jobs have been created in Mickleham following the opening of a $64 million processing and packaging plant for Western Australian smallgoods company, D’Orsogna.
D’Orsogna chose the Merrifield Business Park as the home for its largest plant outside of Western Australia, which will become its eastern Australian base.
The company, which started as a family butcher shop in West Perth in 1949, is now one of the country’s largest smallgoods suppliers and has outgrown its previous eastern-state’s base in Mount Waverley.
The Merrifield factory features cooking, smoking, cooling, storing and packaging areas. More than 160 workers are now based in Merrifield, up from 55 at Mount Waverley.
The new factory was built with the help of the state government.
D’Orsogna managing director Greig Smith said the new factory would help advance the company’s growth in the domestic and export markets.
“D’Orsogna is pleased to complete the establishment of its new Victorian facility in Melbourne’s north … it’s been a pleasure to work collaboratively with both state and local governments to expand our presence here,” he said.
Yuroke MP Ros Spence said the expansion was great news for the Hume economy.
“This is a fantastic result and it’s terrific that we have been able to play a part in bringing 100 new jobs to the heart of Melbourne’s north,” she said.
