A great Australian brand is heading for the business dustbin with global giant Saputo unbelievably being unable to find a buyer for that great Tasmanian food name — King Island Dairy! The plan is to close the show by mid- 2025 but maybe this publicity will flush a buyer out of the woods.

However, the CEO of Saputo Dairy Australia. Leanne Cutts, says no buyer has emerged after a 10-month search.

"After thoroughly reviewing every possible option, closure of the facility was determined as the most viable way to strengthen SDA's competitiveness based on changing industry and market conditions," she said.

The decision is a body blow for 58 employees but the mayor of King Island, Major Marcus Blackie, lives in hope.

"However, the second-last chapter of the book isn't the end; there is the potential for someone out there who has admired King Island Dairy from afar to possibly come in and rescue the brand yet," he told abc.net.au.

This is a big deal for King Island as SDA is the biggest employer on the island and then there is the impact on the island’s dairy farmers who supply the milk.

Ex-farmer Gary Strickland explained what’s crazy about this decision: “It's one of the best climates for dairy in the world…[and] because the climate's so good it's the cheapest place nearly in the world to milk cows on."

The Tasmanian Premier, Jeremy Rockliff said his government is “working with the company in an effort to find a new operator for this iconic dairy."

Saputo says its other Tassie brands — Mersey Valley and Tasmanian Heritage, are doing well, so it’s not an anti-cheese attitude of consumers.

Clearly, the island needs an entrepreneur of Twiggy Forrest proportions, who has rescued R.M. Williams and has done a great job with this iconic brand.

Tasmanians are world class when it comes to the things we consume and if you need proof, consider Ed Carr, the founder of Arras winery.

Sky News captured this big revelation earlier this year: “A 68-year-old Australian winemaker has beaten the French at their own game. Ed Carr from House of Arras was this week named sparkling winemaker of the year at the 2024 International Wine Challenge in London - a title usually reserved for the chef de cave or chief winemaker at a major champagne house in France.”

And I reckon King Island cheese would give the French a run for their money, especially if it was owned by a gutsy, Aussie. I think a lot more of us would even be nice to Clive Palmer if he did something useful like buying this wonderful dairy with a small chunk of his $4.37 billion, instead of punishing us with his political ads. He spent $60 million in the 2019 election and won nothing!

By the way, Saputo is a Canadian outfit and has been collecting dairy brands for years but despite my efforts to find out what the company wants for the business. If you want to sell something, it’s a good idea to advertise the price!