PARILLA POTATO PROCESSING PLANT

One of SA’s leading potato suppliers, The Pye Group, is set to invest $35 million in a new potato packing facility at Parilla.

The Pye Group’s multi-million-dollar investment in its Parilla Premium Potatoes and Zerella Fresh brands will help cater for the growing demand for potatoes in Australia, and is estimated to inject $42 million into the regional Mallee economy and create 40 new local jobs.

A total of $2m in funding has been received by the Pye Group for the state-of-the-art facility under the state government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Estimated for completion by mid-2021, the new facility will double the capacity of the company’s existing Virginia potato packing facility, which each year washes and packs more than 50,000 tonnes of potatoes for delivery in SA and interstate.

Pye Group director Mark Pye said the new facility would feature the best available optical grading and automated packing technology:

“The new Parilla facility will ensure the best possible quality controls and minimise waste. It is 260 kilometres and three hours closer by road to our eastern states customers and offers faster delivery. Additionally, there will be 70 less B-Double trucks travelling between the Mallee region and Virginia each week reducing greenhouse emissions.”