Winners announced at 2024’s Australian Export Awards

Winners were announced at a gala dinner in Canberra on Wednesday for the Australian Export Awards, now in their 62nd year, from a field of 88 finalists creating combined export earnings of more than $7.8 billion

The Manufacturing and Advanced Materials category was taken out by food processing and packaging company TNA Solutions. TNA was established in 1984 and was a finalist in the category at the 2022 awards.

A statement from Austrade explained that the NSW-based company – which employs over 600 people in 30 offices globally – “has made food manufacturing more reliable, flexible and affordable” and is now “the single-source, complete solutions partner for food companies globally.”

“Being a homegrown Australian brand, we take great pride in our heritage and in bringing Australian manufacturing to the world,” said TNA’s Co-Founder and Managing Director Alf Taylor.

“By embracing cutting-edge technology and fostering a culture of creativity, we aim to continuously push the boundaries of what’s possible in our field”.

The winner in the Agribusiness, Food and Beverages Winner category was dessert and beverage company Frosty Boy Global, which manufactures the equivalent of 1.7 million soft serves daily on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

The company lifted its export business by nearly 20 per cent in the year covered, “with more than 1000 new customer outlets in Saudi Arabia, the US, the Philippines and India and new regions including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, French Polynesia, Morocco and Ethiopia.”

“Expanding into these markets not only boosted our global footprint but also paves the way for expectant growth, supported by economic developments and Frosty Boy’s focus in these regions,” said CEO Johann Botha.

Other winners included 

• Marine ventilation equipment specialist Marine Air Flow International in the Small Business category, where it was joint winner with construction vision technology company photoSentinel;
• Electrical switchgear company NOJA Power;
• Medical products manufacturer Care Essentials, which won the Regional Exporter category (it won the category as well as the top award last year); and
• Yeast biology company MicroBioGen, which took out Resources and Energy.

The top award – Australian Exporter of the Year, selected from the winners of all categories – was taken out by visual effects studio Rising Sun Pictures.

A full list of winners can be seen here.

According to Austrade, the 88 finalists – more than half of them classified as small businesses – generated over $7.8 billion in export earnings over FY2023/24. 

Further reading

Finalist list unveiled for next month’s Australian Export Awards

A.W. Bell, Riviera Australia named joint manufacturing winners in Australian Export Awards

Conflux wins manufacturing title at Governor of Victoria Export Awards

Geelong’s Care Essentials wins top exporter award

In the strain game