Bite Sides by Ausfine
By Ausfine
S2 Ep9: Stephen O’Connor — Banking, Leadership & Long-Term Partnerships
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨From changing fluorescent light globes at BHP while studying at Deakin to leading HSBC’s corporate banking business across Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania — Stephen O’Connor has spent nearly two decades learning what strong leadership and long-term business relationships actually look like.With HSBC and Ausfine now into the 13th year of their banking relationship, Stephen joins Matt for a wide-ranging conversation about trust, global business, AI, economic uncertainty and why the real test of leadership comes when things don’t go to plan.We dig into:🏦 Stephen’s journey from BHP and chartered accounting into nearly 20 years with HSBC🤝 Why transparency and trust are at the heart of successful long-term banking partnerships🌏 How HSBC’s international network supports businesses expanding into markets like the US, Indonesia and beyond🤖 How AI is already being used inside banking — and how Stephen is seeing clients adapt to it in real time📈 What businesses are facing right now: rising costs, geopolitical uncertainty, currency movements and changing investment opportunities🇺🇸 Why the US continues to stand out as one of the most attractive markets for international growth👥 Stephen’s approach to leadership — taking the best from different managers, knowing when to get into the detail and finding the balance between support and micromanagement💬 Why leadership isn’t really tested when everything is going well — it’s when the chips are down that it matters most.Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #HSBC #CorporateBanking #Leadership #GlobalTrade #BusinessGrowth #AI #InternationalBusiness #Banking #AustralianBusiness
S2 Ep8: Bec Unicomb — Partnerships, Pizza & Procurement
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From first make on the Domino’s pizza line to leading ANZ procurement partnerships — Bec Unicomb’s journey is packed with hustle, leadership, and relationship-building.
In this episode, Matt sits down with Domino’s ANZ Procurement Manager Bec Unicomb to unpack what modern procurement actually looks like inside one of the world’s biggest pizza brands. From supplier partnerships and innovation to delivery culture and leadership, this is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the business of food service.
We dig into:
🍕 Bec’s journey from making pizzas in-store to leading procurement across ANZ
📦 Why Domino’s calls suppliers “business partners” — and why that mindset matters
🤝 Building long-term partnerships that survive pricing pressure and supply chain chaos
🚚 The changing world of pizza delivery and competing in the aggregator era
💡 Innovation, viral food trends, and the race to find the “next big thing”
📈 Leadership, culture, and managing relationships in every direction
🌏 AI, global uncertainty, and what the future of food procurement could look like
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #Dominos #Procurement #FoodService #SupplyChain #Leadership #Innovation #Pizza #BusinessPartnerships #QSR
S2 Ep7: Colm O’Brien — Strategy, Leadership & Playing the Long Game
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From County Cork to London banking, ASX-listed leadership, global media expansion, and strategic advisory work across Australia — Colm O’Brien has spent his career helping businesses navigate growth, change, and complexity.
Now a Partner at Carringtons and one of Ausfine’s most trusted advisors, Colm joins Matt for a candid conversation about leadership, business growth, investment readiness, and the lessons learned from decades spent in boardrooms around the world.
We dig into:
📈 Colm’s journey from Ireland to Australia through banking, consulting, and corporate leadership
🏦 Lessons from Barclays Bank, Andersen Consulting, and leading an ASX-listed company
🌍 Building a global media business across Europe, Australia, Asia, and the Americas
🧠 Why great leaders focus on the long game and avoid getting stuck in the weeds
🤝 The importance of surrounding yourself with the right people and building strong teams
💼 What private equity, private capital, and investors are really looking for
📊 How businesses can become investment-ready and maximise long-term value
💬 Leadership, decision-making, resilience, and learning from failure
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #Leadership #Strategy #BusinessGrowth #PrivateEquity #Investment #CorporateLeadership #Consulting #AustraliaBusiness #Carringtons #BusinessStrategy
S2 Ep6: Garry Embleton — Risk, Resilience & Building Ausfine
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From handwritten trade books and telex machines to global risk management and international expansion — Garry Embleton has been part of the Ausfine journey almost from the very beginning.
Now Ausfine’s Head of Risk & Compliance and President of the Australia Indonesia Business Council (AIBC), Garry joins Matt for a raw and insightful conversation about global trade, leadership, and what it really takes to build a resilient business.
We dig into:
📈 Garry’s journey from accounts clerk to dairy trader and risk leader
🧀 The old days of Australian dairy exports to the US — and how the entire industry changed
🌏 Setting up Ausfine offices in Indonesia, the Philippines, and the US
⚠️ The real risks behind global trading: credit, currency, compliance, insurance, and geopolitics
🤝 Why strong banking, insurance, and industry relationships matter more than ever
🇮🇩 Garry’s role as President of AIBC and what doing business in Indonesia actually looks like
📚 The evolution of Ausfine from a 7-person operation to a global business
💬 Leadership, resilience, values, and showing up when things get hard
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #AustralianDairy #RiskManagement #GlobalTrade #Indonesia #AIBC #Leadership #Compliance #BusinessGrowth #Agriculture #SupplyChain
S2 Ep5: Stu Davison — Understanding Milk Price Risk
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From Waikato dairy farms to the trading floors of Chicago — Stu Davison brings a rare, full-circle view of the global dairy industry.
Growing up on large-scale farms in New Zealand before moving into financial markets, Stu now helps producers and processors navigate one of the most volatile parts of dairy: pricing risk.
In this episode, we unpack how the industry really works behind the scenes — from milk price exposure to global market forces — and why tools like hedging are becoming more critical than ever.
We dig into:
The journey from dairy farming to global dairy broker
What hedging actually is (in simple terms) and why it matters
How New Zealand farmers manage milk price risk
Why Australia lags behind — and what needs to change
The reality of global dairy markets (US, NZ, and beyond)
How volatility impacts farmers, processors, and the entire supply chain
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #AustralianDairy #NewZealandDairy #MilkPrice #Hedging #DairyMarkets #Agriculture #GlobalTrade #RiskManagement
S2 Ep4: John Harney — Inside Domino’s Growth Story
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From a wheat farm north of Bendigo to the front row of Domino’s Pizza’s global expansion, John Harney has seen what rapid growth, leadership, and operational scale really look like.
John joins Matt to unpack a career that started in the mines, moved through Unilever and Malaysia, and eventually led to two decades inside one of the biggest foodservice growth stories in the region.
We dig into:
• John’s journey from engineering and mining into procurement, leadership, and supply chain
• What Domino’s looked like in 2004 — before the massive growth across Australia, Europe, and Asia
• The lessons behind rapid expansion, scaling too fast, and why culture is the hardest thing to export
• Why the best partnerships are built on trust, consistency, and long-term commitment — not transactions
• How Domino’s thinks about delivery, competition, and staying relevant in a world of aggregators and endless convenience
• John’s take on leadership: empathy, collaboration, reading the room, and building teams people want to follow
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #JohnHarney #Dominos #Leadership #SupplyChain #Procurement #QSR #Foodservice #BusinessGrowth #Partnerships
S2 Ep3: Pepe Issa — Building the Brand Behind Pepe Saya
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From an over-ordered batch of cream to one of Australia’s most recognisable premium butter brands — Pepe Issa, founder of Pepe Saya, joins the pod to share the story behind the brand, the product, and the personality that made it stand out.
What started as a dessert business turned into a deep obsession with making better-tasting butter — and eventually into a premium cultured butter brand that challenged imported European products and carved out its own space in the Australian market.
We dig into:
• How Pepe Saya was born from a simple problem: too much cream and nowhere for it to go
• The difference between regular butter and cultured butter — and why flavour starts with fermentation
• How the Pepe Saya brand and iconic character were created
• Why building a premium food brand takes time, patience, and serious conviction
• Growing from artisan beginnings into a broader business with rework lines, online retail, and new milk bottling plans
• Taking the brand into the US market and why Pepe’s philosophy is: “Where there’s cows, export the brand. Where there’s no cows, export the butter.”
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #PepeSaya #PepeIssa #CulturedButter #AustralianDairy #BrandBuilding #FoodInnovation #PremiumFood #Entrepreneurship
S2 Ep2: James Greenacre — The Unlikely Path to Dairy
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From Macquarie’s Lawson Grains to med school to milking 2,000 cows in Tasmania — James Greenacre is one of the most refreshing voices in Australian dairy right now.
Matt first heard James speak at a Dairy Australia breakfast and knew he had to get him on the pod. What followed is a sharp, grounded chat about how modern dairy actually works — the business systems, the people leadership, and the uncomfortable truths behind pricing and transparency.
We dig into:
• The wild career path: commerce/law → ag finance → medicine → dairy farming
• Growing from 750 cows to 2,000 across two farms (and what scale really changes)
• Why dairy’s biggest challenge isn’t cows — it’s people, systems, and culture
• Economies vs diseconomies of scale (and why “duplicate a good system” beats chasing size)
• The tension between farmers and processors — and why transparency is the real missing piece
• Milk pricing, the Code, and whether the current system is actually working for anyone
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #AustralianDairy #DairyFarming #Tasmania #MilkPrice #DairyCode #Agriculture #Leadership #PeopleAndSystems
Series 2 Episode 1 - From Street Sales to Commercial Leadership: Peter Nelison CCO , on Growth, Brands & What’s Next for Ausfine
New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode
From knocking on doors selling German jams to leading global commercial teams across wine, spirits and FMCG — Peter Nielsen, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Aus Fine Foods, has built a career on adaptability, influence and sharp commercial thinking.
Peter joins Matt Cooper for the first episode of Series Two (2026) to share the real lessons behind big moves, big teams, and what it takes to grow in fast-changing categories.
We dig into:
Early career curveballs (fired at 21, moving cities with no role lined up) and what they teach you
The difference between corporate manufacturing and Aus Fine’s trading-led model (speed, flexibility, sourcing, partners)
Leadership at scale: why strategy only lands after you’ve said it 10–15 times
What makes branding cut through (wine examples like Squealing Pig and 19 Crimes) — and why most products fall into “me too”
AI in commercial teams: why it’ll enable better decisions, not replace the humans doing the buying and selling
Where Peter sees Aus Fine heading in the next 12–24 months: US + Asia growth, meat opportunity, and alternate channels (QSR/foodservice/retail)
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #AusFineFoods #FoodTrading #CommercialLeadership #Sales #FMCG #BrandStrategy #AI #Dairy #Meat #QSR #Foodservice #SupplyChain #Australia
#14 John Williams: From Mitsui to ADPF — Value-Add, Milk Markets & The Future of Australian Dairy
John Williams is President of the Australian Dairy Products Federation (ADPF). His career spans Japanese trading house Mitsui, sales leadership at Warrnambool Cheese & Butter, and senior roles through the Saputo and Murray Goulburn transitions. From early whey protein (WPC) commercialisation to branded FMCG and industry advocacy, John has been at the centre of Australia’s biggest dairy shifts—championing value-add, productivity and a stronger, more competitive sector.
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From Mitsui’s trading floors to leading Australia’s processor peak body, John Williams has had a front-row seat to dairy’s biggest changes. He joins us to unpack the rise of whey, the Saputo/MG era, and how policy and pricing shape tomorrow’s milk pool.
We dig into:
How a Mitsui joint venture helped kick-start Australia’s WPC push
The Warrnambool → Saputo journey and lessons from MG integration
Why value-add (lactoferrin, oligosaccharides) matters more than ever
Processors vs. farmers? Cutting through the noise to real collaboration
Milk pricing, the Code, and what tweaks could actually help growth
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #AustralianDairy #ADPF #WheyProtein #Lactoferrin #ValueAdd #FMCG #Policy #Agriculture
#13 Jules Tahan: From Photography to Urban Angles — Creativity, Leadership & Resilience
EPISODE 13 - Jules Tahan: From Photography to Urban Angles — Creativity, Leadership & Resilience
Jules Tahan is the Managing Director of Urban Angles, a Melbourne-based creative agency specialising in real estate and architectural photography. With more than two decades in the industry, Jules has steered Urban Angles from its early days shooting property for local agents into a nationally recognised business producing high-end content for builders, architects, and designers.
Starting out in portrait and commercial photography after studying at RMIT, Jules deliberately pushed himself outside his comfort zone to accelerate his growth as a creative. That same appetite for challenge has shaped his leadership: from navigating the shift from film to digital, to adopting AI tools in post-production, to guiding Urban Angles through consolidation, growth, and the disruption of COVID-19.
For Jules, success is about clarity, culture, and people — ensuring his team leaves Urban Angles better than when they arrived, while continuing to innovate in a fast-changing creative landscape.
Jules’ leap from portraits into architectural and real estate photography
Why stepping outside your comfort zone fuels growth
The evolution from film to digital to AI — and what comes next
Lessons in leadership, clarity, and building culture
Resilience through COVID and charting Urban Angles’ next phase of growth
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or subscribe to our YouTube channel for full episodes and video content
https://www.youtube.com/@Ausfine
In this episode, Jules joins Matt Cooper to unpack:#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #UrbanAngles #Photography #Architecture #Leadership #AI #Innovation #BusinessGrowth
#12 David Bongiorno: From Hospitality to Handmade Heritage — Scaling Alba Cheese the Right Way
David Bongiorno is the General Manager of Alba Cheese, a family-owned Melbourne business founded by his parents in 1981. After years in hospitality, including time in the US, he returned to learn the trade from the ground up — factory floor to trucks — before stepping into leadership.
Today, David drives Alba’s growth by balancing tradition and innovation: keeping handmade Sicilian cheeses alive, automating where it adds value, and building long-term farmer and customer partnerships.
🚨 New Ausfine Bite Sides Episode 🚨
From restaurants in the US to running Alba Cheese, David Bongiorno has lived the family business from the bottom up. Now as GM, he’s guiding the company’s next chapter — blending tradition with smart growth.
We cover:
Learning the business from scratch
Why handmade still matters
Milk supply, farmer partnerships & exports
Alba’s vision for the next 5 years
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or YouTube.
#AusfineBiteSides #Podcast #AlbaCheese #Dairy #Leadership #FamilyBusiness
#11 Eliza Redfern: From Vet Dreams to Dairy Data — Shaping the Future at Dairy Australia
Eliza Redfern is an Analysis and Insights Manager at Dairy Australia, helping shape the industry’s understanding of milk production, supply, and market trends.
Originally set on a career in veterinary science, Eliza’s path took a turn when she discovered a passion for agriculture during her degree at the University of Melbourne. A hands-on stint on a dairy farm cemented her love for the industry, and her analytical skills quickly found a home in market insights and industry strategy.
Since joining Dairy Australia in 2020, Eliza has become a trusted voice in interpreting data and trends for farmers, processors, and industry stakeholders. From tracking herd numbers to forecasting milk yields, she’s committed to helping the sector do more with less — and navigate a future shaped by climate, markets, and technology.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Website: https://ausfine.com
#10 Pete Findlay: Leading Bega, Lifting Productivity & Competing Globally
Pete Findlay is the CEO of Bega Group — one of Australia’s most iconic food companies and home to brands like Vegemite, Bega Cheese, and Dairy Farmers.
With a career spanning finance, strategy, and executive leadership, Pete has steered Bega through industry change, market volatility, and the ongoing challenge of staying competitive in a global food market.
In this episode, Pete unpacks how productivity drives affordability, the realities of competing on the world stage, and what it takes to keep an Australian food giant innovative, resilient, and growing.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
#9 David Williams: Inside the Big Deals That Shaped Australian Food & Ag
David Williams is the founder and Managing Director of Kidder Williams — and one of the most influential dealmakers in Australian agrifood. With a background in finance and a deep instinct for value, David has led major transactions in dairy, seafood, wine, meat, and beyond, including landmark deals for Tassal, Bellamy’s, Huon, and Bega.
Over four decades, David has helped family businesses scale, co-ops privatize, and iconic brands find new life. Known for his brutal honesty, sharp eye for strategy, and deep sector expertise, he’s built a reputation as the go-to advisor when a food or ag business needs to grow, raise capital — or sell.
In this episode, David shares lessons from the frontlines: what makes a business truly valuable, how founders get in their own way, and why he still sees huge opportunity in Australian agrifood — if the right people are at the table.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#8 Barry Irvin: Dairy Farmer to Chairman — The Bega Story
Barry Irvin is the Chairman of Bega Cheese and one of Australia’s most respected agrifood leaders, best known for transforming Bega from a small regional dairy co-op into a nationally recognised, branded food company.
Barry grew up a fifth-generation dairy farmer in the Bega Valley, learning resilience and hard work from an early age. After an early banking career, he returned home to help save the family farm, soon getting involved with Bega Co-operative Society just as it faced its own turning point.
Over more than three decades of leadership, Barry steered Bega through deregulation, industry fragmentation, and intense competition—championing a culture of humility, service, and trust. His commitment to long-term thinking and strategic investment culminated in Bega’s famous acquisition of Vegemite and other iconic Australian brands, marking a bold shift from commodity production to branded foods.
A believer in loyalty, collaboration—even with competitors—and in always sharing both dreams and fears, Barry has built a reputation for calm leadership in tough times and a vision for an industry built on relationships and shared value.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#7 Jon Spainhour: Trading Floors, Dairy Futures & Why the World’s Watching Europe
Jon Spainhour is a Senior Broker and Partner at Ever.ag, one of the most influential firms in global dairy risk management. Jon’s career began in the open-outcry pits of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where he transitioned from cattle and hogs to becoming one of the early pioneers of dairy futures.
After starting the dairy desk at Cargill in the early 2000s, Jon helped lead the rise of dairy risk tools in the US, educating producers and traders on how to de-risk in a volatile market. He later joined Rice Dairy, where he worked closely with major players like Ausfine to unlock US cheese export potential — well before it became mainstream.
Now part of Ever.ag, Jon works across global markets, helping clients navigate futures, options, and the increasingly strategic role of risk management in dairy. With deep insight into production trends, export growth, and international price dynamics, Jon remains one of the clearest voices in the industry — and a key advocate for keeping a sharp eye on Europe.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#6 Steve Spencer & Jo Bills: Mapping the Future of Dairy – Freshagenda’s Global Impact & the Next Chapter with Ever.ag
Steve Spencer and Jo Bills are the co-founders of Freshagenda, now part of Ever.ag — a leading provider of global dairy market intelligence and strategy. Together, they’ve transformed how the industry thinks about supply, value, and risk.
Steve started his career in consulting, working through major agricultural deregulation and strategy projects across Australia. Jo’s background spans ag science, government, and strategic insight roles, including a long tenure at Dairy Australia. They teamed up in 2012 to launch Freshagenda with one goal: make sense of global dairy through real data, sharp analysis, and tools that actually work.
Their work now informs decisions for the world’s biggest dairy players — from Nestlé to FrieslandCampina. As part of Ever.ag, Steve and Jo continue to lead the charge in modelling, insight, and helping dairy businesses navigate a rapidly changing global market.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#5 Tim Kidman: Building Brands with Purpose, B2B vs B2C, and the Relentless Drive Behind The Fuel Agency
Tim Kidman is the Founder and Managing Director of The Fuel Agency, a Melbourne-based brand and marketing agency focused on helping businesses uncover their purpose and communicate it with clarity and impact.
Tim’s career began in hospitality and sales before moving into marketing, studying both business strategy and psychology. He’s worked across FMCG, logistics, and design, ultimately launching Fuel over 25 years ago with a mission to create a more accountable and commercially focused agency model.
Known for his clear thinking and deep questioning, Tim and his team have helped companies—from franchise networks to family-owned exporters—craft brands that connect with customers, drive growth, and reflect authentic values.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#4 Kylie Prout: From Chemical Engineering to Culture, Building HR from the Ground Up & Leading with PEAK
Kylie Prout is Head of People and Culture at Ausfine Foods. Starting her career as a chemical engineer, Kylie has held diverse roles across automotive, toy manufacturing, pharmaceutical operations, and aged care before making the leap into HR leadership.
Kylie’s career began at Ford Motor Company and later included roles at Mattel and Lockwood Security, where a pivotal moment led her from engineering into human resources. Since joining Ausfine in 2023, Kylie has brought a structured, people-first approach to scaling Ausfine’s global team and culture. Her trademark leadership philosophy — “PEAK” (Performance, Enthusiasm, Accountability, Kindness) — now underpins Ausfine’s people strategy.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#3 Paula O'Toole: From Ireland to Ausfine, Logistics Mastery, AI Ambitions & Her Vision for Scalable Growth
Paula O’Toole is Chief Operations Officer at Ausfine Foods. Originally from Ireland, Paula moved to Australia in 2003 and has built a career spanning logistics, IT, and executive leadership across multiple industries.
She began her Australian career in telecommunications with roles at Virgin Mobile and Brightstar, where she led major supply chain and IT initiatives, including service innovation programs for Telstra. Paula later held senior roles at Orora Packaging and as CIO of Timberlink Australia before joining Ausfine in 2023.
Paula brings a rare blend of operational expertise and technological insight, driving Ausfine’s systems transformation, global process standardisation, and strategic growth initiatives across Australia, Indonesia, and the US.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#2 Tom Wigan: Japanese Trading Roots, Ausfine USA’s Denver Launch, What the tariffs mean for Aussie beef
Tom Wigan is Vice President of Sales at Ausfine USA, the newest addition to the Ausfine Foods group. Tom joined Ausfine in 2020 with a background in international trade—having started his career at a Japanese steel trading house—where he gained hands-on experience in logistics, operations, and global commodity markets.
Transitioning from steel to meat, Tom quickly established himself as a standout trader, building strong relationships with Australian processors and international customers. In 2023, his entrepreneurial drive and proven track record led to his appointment in Denver, where he now heads Ausfine’s US expansion and continues to forge new trade opportunities across the region.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/
#1 Chris Scarlett: Ausfine's Founding Story, Trump's Tariffs, US Expansion and his next big move!
Chris Scarlett is Executive Chairman of Ausfine Foods and Co-Founder of Altrufood. Chris started at Ausfine foods in 1999, coming to work with his father Don Scarlett who was a founder of the business.
Chris joined Ausfine with a qualification in Food Science / Dairy Technology from University of Melbourne and several years hands on experience in dairy processing and cheese sales.
Over Chris’s 22 years at Ausfine he became the largest single shareholder and has lead the business as Managing Director and Executive Chairman through a significant scaling up journey.
We speak to Chris about his time at Ausfine, where he see's the current state of the dairy industry, and what's next in store for Chris.
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Bite Sides by Ausfine dishes up insights into the dynamic world of food and business. Each episode dives into market trends, supply chain tips, and culinary innovation, with special guests.
Hosted by Ausfine—global experts in dairy and proteins—you’ll learn what’s shaping the industry and how to thrive in it. Hungry for knowledge? Tune in and find out what’s on the menu at Bite Sides.
Get in touch with us:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ausfine-foods-international
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ausfinefoods
Online Shop: https://shop.ausfine.com/