Chris Dobney
The future of iconic Byron Bay Cookies – and the jobs that go with them – is now assured following the company’s purchase by Australian food company Rinoldi.
Receiver and manager, PwC partner Derrick Vickers, announced the sale yesterday. It should be completed within a week and includes all trademarks and the Byron Bay plant and equipment.
The sale is good news not only for biscuit lovers but also for the more than 60 people who have continued to work for Byron Bay Cookie Company following a major round of redundancies when it first went into administration back in March this year.
Mr Vickers has assured Echonetdaily that baking will continue in Byron Bay and no further jobs will be lost in the transition to new ownership.
The Melbourne-based Rinoldi has been around since 1878. It is Australia’s oldest, and one of our largest, pasta makers. It also produces a range of snack foods for the local and export markets.
Mr Vickers said he was pleased that the business will be sold as a going concern to an established Australian food manufacturer and said it would not have been possible without the ongoing loyalty of the company’s customers and suppliers.
To the shock of locals, the Byron Bay Cookie Company was placed in receivership in March by the Australian Tax Office, which was owed around $1.3 million in back taxes. A further 170 businesses were owed a total of $2.7 million and some staff entitlements had not been paid.
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