Forager Foods’ 26TEN Grant

John Ranicar and Tony Wright of Forager Foods.

Photo by Andrew Shepherd

By Lorraine Clarke

RED HILLS processor Forager Foods has secured a Tasmanian Government 26TEN Employer Grant designed to increase literacy and numeracy skills in the workplace, contributing to increased business success and productivity.

Nine organisations across the state benefited from this year’s $415,000 purse.

Forager Foods was begun in 2009 by John Ranicar. He converted the former trout, salmon and eel smokehouse built by his father Piers Ranicar, into a facility which now processes a dazzling array of fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, pharmaceuticals, and dehydrated meals.

Tony Wright helps to write the lengthy, detailed procedures for their product range, now nearing 200. ‘Our Standard Operating Procedures are quite convoluted programs. So 26TEN is helping to simplify them for all our employees.’

‘In the past, we haven’t had good enough systems to identify problems, so hopefully this program will allow us to identify them sooner.

‘All employees will be involved to give feedback on the process. We want to have it implemented within six months.’

The project will result in a wide range of benefits for the business and individual workers.

Improved technical writing skills will enable staff to develop workplace documentation, resulting in better workplace performance and compliance in relation to quality and food safety requirements.

Forager Foods’ diverse product range can be found online at https://www.foragerfoods. com.au/retail/.

Employers interested in building stronger businesses, communities and skills can find 26TEN at https://26ten.tas.gov. au/Pages/default.aspx.