Corporate - Forager Foods

Corporate

Unlocking the true value of food through innovation in preservation.

“We’re fully committed to achieving our vision to unlock the true value of food through innovation in preservation. For those who share our vision, we welcome you to join our journey.”

John Ranicar
CEO and Founder

At Forager Food Co. we have a mission to forge a new frontier in food through innovative manufacturing solutions and products that allow our customers to maximise value, access and possibility.

We have a vision where Forager Food Co. plays a vital role in helping local, national and international growers and manufacturers to capture the full value of food through innovation in preservation.

Everything we do at Forager Food Co. is guided by our core values to ensure our customers receive exceptional products and service and that our team members can contribute and thrive in a safe and supportive environment.

Team – We are at our best when we work together as a team. We champion and respect diversity in our people and their talents, skills and opinions.
Ownership – We take ownership for delivering our best everyday. We may not have the answers but we own the problem and back ourselves to find a solution.
Bold and Innovative – We are the leaders in what we do and collaborate with our customers and staff to create new and exciting products and ways to achieve our outcomes.
Responsive – We are responsive to our customer’s and team members’ needs and act in a timely manner.
Excellence – Powered by desire, belief and energy to achieve, we share a passion to deliver excellence in all that we do.

Leadership team

John Ranicar

CEO & Founder

Experience

John has over 30 years of extensive experience across the food landscape from production through to manufacturing, from aquaculture to dairy. With a rich family history in the agricultural sector John has a unique and deep connection to food and is extensively networked within Tasmania, both politically and commercially. In 2009 John saw an opportunity to combine his love for value adding through manufacturing and acquired existing freeze-drying equipment. With that core equipment came a key customer; Bellamys Organic, who remain a major customer 13 years later.

Over the past 13 years as CEO John has championed growth across the business in its capacity and capabilities. Forager has developed and launched wholesale and retail brands, joint ventures, military contracts and R&D projects as well as the expertise to produce 195 difference freeze-dried products and growing. John’s technical ability, passion for problem solving and investment in people and relationships has attracted the right team members and positioned the company to become a global leading in food and ingredient preservation.

Jonty Barnett

CBDO & Co Founder

Experience

Jonty joined John as an equal share business partner in 2014 and took over the CBDO role to lead product development, distribution and drive strategic partnerships. Coming from strong family hospitality roots, Jonty developed an ability to connect with people from a young age – a skill that has proven invaluable in his business development success. Over his impressive 30 year career Jonty has demonstrated performance at the executive level across the sector, thriving in roles ranging from managing hatcheries, hotels, dairies and food distribution businesses.

In addition to his responsibilities at Forager, Jonty is the Managing Director and co-owner of Eden Foods Pty Ltd, a food distribution business supplying independent Tasmanian supermarkets. Since joining Forager, Jonty has been instrumental to the business’s growth, working to develop and distribute Forager’s branded products and assisting companies manufacturing through Forager to develop theirs.

As Forager prepares for an 8-fold capacity increase over coming years, Jonty is leading the charge to expand Forager’s product range, domestic and export footprint and foster strategic relationships.

Current employment opportunities

Production Manager

Forager Foods is a rapidly growing Tasmanian business steeped in a rich family heritage of farming and food production dating back generations.

We are currently seeking an experienced Production Manager to be based at our new Western Junction site to lead all aspects of the production process while building a culture of safety and quality.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right person with capacity to develop and grow with the business as it expands.

To be successful in the role you will demonstrate experience in the following areas:

Demonstrated leadership and management skill at a senior leadership and site-based level.
Demonstrated production management experience in food processing including ensuring process improvement and efficiencies.
High levels of interpersonal, verbal and written communication competencies with the ability to engage with people from a wide range of backgrounds.
Demonstrated problem solving competencies.
Demonstrated change management skills, with the ability to lead staff through periods of change.
Demonstrated abilities to develop, implement and review operational systems and processes to ensure safety and quality outcomes.
Demonstrated understanding and ability to apply WHS and HACCP standards.

Applications including a cover letter addressing the above selection criteria and resume to be submitted online via SEEK by Friday 21 July 2023.

For enquiries regarding the position please contact Donna Wilson on donnawilson@foragerfoods.com.au.

Click here to apply

WHS Specialist

Forager Foods is a rapidly growing Tasmanian business steeped in a rich family heritage of farming and food production dating back generations.

We are currently seeking an experienced WHS Specialist to partner with management and staff across our three sites to lead WHS compliance and continuous improvement programs.

This is an exciting opportunity for the right person with capacity to develop and grow with the business as it expands.

To be successful in the role you will demonstrate experience in the following areas:

Extensive experience in developing and managing WHS systems.
Proven ability to understand, apply and communicate complex WHS processes and requirements.
Experience in developing risk registers, facilitating WHS audits, investigating incidents, completing and reviewing hazard and incident reports.
Demonstrated experience with managing workers compensation claims and return to work programs.
Demonstrated ability to initiate and respond effectively to change.
Highly developed and demonstrable analytical and problem-solving skills.
Proven self-management skills including the ability to prioritise tasks and manage multiple and complex issues.
Highly developed communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build effective relationships and resolve conflict.

Applications including a cover letter addressing the above selection criteria and resume to be submitted online via SEEK by Friday 4 August 2023.

For enquiries regarding the position please contact Donna Wilson on donnawilson@foragerfoods.com.au.

Click here to apply

Warehouse Assistant

Forager Foods is a rapidly growing Tasmanian business steeped in a rich family heritage of farming and food production dating back generations.

We are currently recruiting a casual Warehouse Assistant to work at our Western Junction site near Launceston with the potential to become permanent full or part-time as the business expands.

The role: what you will be doing

While each day will be different you will be completing the following tasks:

Outbound: picking, packing, wrapping and dispatching
Inbound: receiving, replenishment, and put-away of product
Inventory: cycle counts and stock counts
General warehouse cleaning duties as required
Quality Assurance at all steps in the warehousing process
Entry of data into our computer system and printing of labels.

The right person to join our team: is it you?

We are looking for a person with the following skills and attributes to join the team:

A positive attitude along with high level of attention to detail and good communication skills
Strong commitment to quality and safety
Good level of fitness with a physical capacity to lift up to 20kg
Good literacy, numeracy and computer skills
Excellent time management skills with the ability to work effectively unsupervised
Strong work ethic including reliability and punctuality
The ability to work in various environments including freezer and chillers.

A forklift licence is essential to this role along with previous experience operating high lift forklifts.

Applications including a cover letter and resume should be submitted online via SEEK.

For enquiries regarding the position please email jobs@foragerfoods.com.au

Click here to apply

Production Workers

Forager Foods is a rapidly growing Tasmanian business steeped in a rich family heritage of farming and food production dating back generations.

We are currently seeking production staff to work at our Red Hills site near Deloraine and our Western Junction site near Launceston.

The right person to join our team: is it you?

We are looking for people who take pride in their work and enjoy working as part of a team to produce results, ideally with experience in a food production environment.

A high level of attention to detail, a commitment to product quality and safety, good communication skills time management skills are all essential in the role.

Equally important is your alignment with the workplace culture, ability to approach challenging situations with a positive attitude and flexibility to work across different areas of the production process as required.

Applications including a cover letter and resume should be submitted online via SEEK.

For enquiries regarding the position please email jobs@foragerfoods.com.au

Click here to apply

Sustainability

Sustainability sits at the core of Forager Food Co’s business model. Through a commitment to helping growers, suppliers and manufacturers capture the full value of food through innovation in preservation, we are helping to reduce food wastage, minimise landfill and reduce the amount of energy required to store and transport food.

31%

of global food production is wasted.

8-10%

of global GHG emissions contributes to food waste.

72%

of consumers are conscious of their food waste (^39% to since 2019).

91%

prefer to purchase from organisations that are taking steps to reduce food waste.

12%

of global food waste comes from insufficient cold chain infrastructure, preventing nutritional access.

Forager Food Co. processes, freeze dries and packages a diverse range of foods providing extended shelf life whilst protecting the most valuable and delicate ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, colours, and flavours.

Freeze-drying harnesses natural processes and produces very little waste and zero harmful emissions. The only byproduct is water, collected on our freeze-dryer condensers and recycled throughout our facilities.

However, it is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of electricity, which is why we are investing in solar arrays and storage across our business. Aligned with our sustainability and environmental goals, we aim to be a net emitter of energy by 2030.