HARVEY Beef officially opened its state-of-the-art retail-ready facility in Harvey on Friday.
The new range of Harvey Beef-branded products will soon be available in Coles, IGA and other independents, with the facility to be in full production from next week,
Harvey Beef will also be the exclusive supplier of beef and lamb products to Aldi in WA when it opens in June.
Since Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Group acquired Harvey Beef in May 2014, the company has invested more than $25 million in upgrading and expanding the facilities.
The new facility is one of only three in Australia, which allows for the export from an integrated facility of retail-ready products to consumers around the world.
The facility was officially declared open by Nationals WA leader and Regional Development Minister Terry Redman, alongside Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola.
The facility has full export accreditation due to its integrated location onsite at Harvey connected to the main beef processing facility.
Mr Forrest said Harvey Beef was honoured to be able to deliver the finest beef produced by WA farmers to the world, whilst capturing additional value and creating jobs locally.
"The retail packaging facility allowed Harvey Beef to service the domestic and export customers with the highest quality Western Australian beef through a totally integrated paddock to plate model," he said.
"Through this investment we will take advantage of high growth, high value premium opportunities in export markets at the intersection of what consumer's desire and what West Australian businesses can produce."
The new facility will retail package both beef from WA producers and lamb products, supplied through WAMMCO to new WA supermarket chain, Aldi while generating 50 new jobs for the region.
Minderoo Group head of investment John Hartman said Aldi was supporting WA beef producers and the industry by sourcing local products.
"Harvey Beef is proud to be partnering with Aldi for the supply of retail ready beef and lamb products in WA," Mr Hartman said,
"Harvey Beef and Aldi share a passion for the highest standards of quality and excellence to deliver the best possible products to our customers every day."
The facility is made up of a mix of leading Italian and German made equipment complemented by locally made conveyors.
Cutting edge traceability technology is built into the tamper proof packaging to allow consumers through a smart phone application to verify the authenticity and provenance of the product.
The growing beef markets of Asia mainly Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Japan, and South Korea will be a key focus for export of chilled and frozen retail ready product as well as the Middle East.
Harvey Beef is the biggest beef processor in WA, with an integrated processing facility which holds an extensive set of licenses for frozen and chilled beef export.
The business currently processes 140,000 head of cattle per annum and employs 450 people, servicing both the domestic market and exporting to more than 40 countries around the world.
Mr Forrest said Harvey Beef had received expressions of interest from overseas customers, in its premium products.
While the lamb will be sold domestically, beef product produced in Harvey will be airfreighted and delivered overnight to the leading supermarkets of Asia putting premium Harvey Beef branded product on the shelves.