Pizza pick-up

By Lilly O’Gorman
The official sale of the Papa Giuseppe brand to the German Company Dr Oetker International is set for late April this year.
Simplot still owns the Pakenham site, operating under the Gippsland Food Company name, and all employees will still be contracted to Gippsland Food Company.
Factory manager Andrew Nooy said the sale would have no impact on current employees.
He said the increased product line meant the factory would be extended, creating more jobs for the area.
“I’m quite excited. Although the Papa Giuseppe brand will no longer belong to the company, the fact that we are still producing the pizzas means only positive outcomes, including more labour opportunities,” Mr Nooy said.
The factory will still produce Papa Giuseppe pizzas in addition to Dr Oetker International’s ‘Ristorante’ brand and home branded pizzas.
“We will be producing more pizza at the factory than what we currently do, so it’s good for the site,” Mr Nooy said.
“We are actually putting more people on at the moment because of the growth in Pakenham and this could certainly mean more job opportunities in the future.”
Mr Nooy said the German company had also bought assets within the factory.
The sale comes little more than a year after American company Simplot purchased the licence to manufacture the Lean Cuisine, Maggi and Papa Giuseppe brands from food giant Nestle.
Dr Oetker International currently exports its ‘Ristorante’ frozen pizza brand to Australia, but manufacture of the pizzas will begin in Pakenham in June.
Dr Oetker manufactures and distributes frozen foods, baking mixes, conserves, cereals and yoghurts to over 40 countries around the world.