Robins Foods is collaborating with IAF to transfer a number of value adding activities to IAF owned regional value adding centres, potentially creating some real skills and additional jobs.
Robins Foods continues to work closely with Coles Supermarkets in marketing and promoting a real “Australian” food category. Coles and Robins Foods are partners in the Coles Indigenous Food Fund (CIFF) and they jointly contribute 30 cents from the retail sale of each Outback Spirit product unit to the CIFF. This money is then used (on a project by project basis) to assist Aboriginal Communities to further develop native foods enterprises. The CIFF fund directly assists Aboriginal people and provides all members of the chain (Indigenous and non-Indigenous) with benefits such as increased self esteem and improved community relations.
IAF endorsement is continuing to be rolled-out to new companies, bringing further value and operational scale to the chain. Benefits for participating companies are tangible and intangible, providing marketing opportunities (both product and corporate differentiation) and good corporate citizenship. Companies under joint venture or under licence to the IAF/Outback Spirit chain receive added value for their involvement by receiving IAF endorsement and the opportunity to add line extensions in existing markets with distinct product differentiation.
 IAF Endorsement Symbol
Ensuring chain is demand pulled
The IAF/Outback Spirit chain has focussed on broadening demand for native foods across a number of target markets and brand awareness and sales have grown significantly as a direct result of the development of the supply chain and Outback Spirit value added products.
Achieving challenging sales targets is critical for the chain in order to bring about sufficient “critical mass” to sustain the participants.
Conclusion
The success of the IAF/Outback Spirit supply chain hinges on its integrated, inclusive and ethical nature. All participants are committed to ongoing chain development. The creation of Outback Spirit as the flagship brand, together with the IAF endorsement, ensures all partners are working co-operatively to develop the chain. The ethical foundation of the chain, providing real equity and opportunities for Aboriginal participants, has attracted significant commercial chain partners who are committed to the chain’s objectives. |
