Future of employees unclear
Australia: Herb farm Freshzest goes into administration
Melbourne insolvency company Hall Chadwick has been appointed as the administrators of the companies, and held the first creditors meeting last week.
The herb business supplied Woolworths with Woolworths-branded fresh herbs, as well as to independent supermarket IGA. As well as growing its own herbs it also bought and packed herbs from other farmers to supply supermarkets across Australian states excluding Northern Territory and Western Australia. A Senior Associate at Hall Chadwick said they were working with 60 employees who were potentially owed entitlements.
It is understood that 23 of the 30 employees at the Pound Creek herb farm in Gippsland, Victoria have been stood down, and have received letters from the administrator informing them that the company had gone into voluntary administration.
In addition to employees being owed entitlements, approximately 96 unsecured creditors were also involved with the struggling herb business, being owed a combined $480,000. ABC contacted Freshzest for comment, but the company declined to comment beyond what Hall Chadwick had communicated.
