Two Fleurieu businesses are among four recipients of the 2023 Hills and Coast Business Grant from Regional Development Australia (RDA).

Launched in 2021, the grant aims to support manufacturing businesses in the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu, and Kangaroo Island regions.

It offers up to $10,000 in matched funding to help address barriers to business growth and productivity.

The Hills and Coast Business Grant helps to bolster the region’s manufacturing industry and drive economic growth, according to Steve Shotton, Director of Regional Development, RDA AHFKI.

“Our focus on the manufacturing sector is very deliberate. It is one of three industries prioritised by RDA for its level of specialisation, competitiveness, and its contribution to exports. 

“It is a growing sector, particularly in food and beverage, however at small scales the sector usually misses out on government supports.

“The RDA Hills & Coast Business Grant is designed to assist our manufacturers that have ambitions for growth and have an eligible project that that will increase productivity.”

He says in the last three years 21 businesses have been funded and gone on to invest an impressive, combined total of $667,000 into the manufacturing sector.

This year’s Fleurieu winners are McLaren Vale’s Ginny Pig Distillery and Currency Creek’s Big Sissy Foods & Matchett Productions.

The two other recipients are Fisher Kitchens and Woodside Cheese Wrights, both in the Adelaide Hills.

Ginny Pig Distillery is a specialist in crafting small-batch gin, and recently won the 2023 World Spirits Awards for Best London Dry and Best overall Gin.

With plans to expand into other spirits, they successfully secured funding for a larger still to double production capacity while enhancing energy efficiency.

Big Sissy Foods & Matchett Productions have made a name for creating exceptional food products. 

Their successful funding application will allow them to replace manual production with a state-of-the-art dough divider and rounder, to automate their processes and increase speed, efficiency and output.

Mr Shotton says the impact of the grant is set to reverberate throughout the region, driving innovation, enhancing productivity, and creating more opportunities for growth in the local manufacturing sector.

Ginny Pig distillery is at 796 Main Road, McLaren Vale; Big Sissy Foods & Matchett Productions regularly attend markets in Willunga and Goolwa, as well as special events across the region.