Bite Sides by Ausfine

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 real...

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...

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...

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 produce...

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 r...

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 missio...

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 join...

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...

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 relationshi...

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 larg...