Shepparton has been Australia’s fruit bowl for generations. Canneries, orchards, and food processing built the town. Now a new layer is emerging: technology companies serving the food industry.

I visited recently to see what’s happening on the ground.

The Foundation

Shepparton’s food tech advantage isn’t abstract—it’s built on tangible assets:

Established food processors: SPC, Unilever, and numerous smaller processors provide both customers and talent pool for food tech ventures.

Agricultural research: The Tatura SmartFarm and various research stations provide science that tech companies can commercialise.

Supply chains: The logistics networks moving food from the Goulburn Valley to markets nationwide provide data and optimisation opportunities.

Labour force: People with deep food industry knowledge who understand problems technology could solve.

These elements combined create something that’s hard to replicate: an ecosystem where food tech makes sense.

Companies to Watch

Several companies are building significant operations in the region.

FreshChain (not a real company name—protecting privacy) provides traceability software for fruit from orchard to supermarket. Their systems track individual batches through processing, catching quality issues earlier.

“We can tell a customer exactly which orchard their fruit came from, when it was picked, how it was processed,” the founder told me. “That transparency is increasingly required by export markets.”

Another startup is applying computer vision to fruit grading. Cameras and AI assess quality faster and more consistently than human graders—reducing labour costs and improving accuracy.

“We’re not replacing people—we’re handling the high-volume commodity work so skilled graders can focus on premium products where judgment matters.”

A third company focuses on processing plant efficiency. Sensors and analytics identify equipment problems before they cause downtime, optimise energy use, and track production in real-time.

The Talent Challenge

Every company I spoke with mentioned the same constraint: finding technical talent locally.

“Food industry expertise is easy. Everyone here grew up around it. Software engineering is hard. We’re competing with Melbourne for developers, and they can work remotely for anyone.”

Solutions vary:

Some companies hire Melbourne-based remote workers, accepting the coordination overhead.

Others invest heavily in training local hires, recruiting smart people from adjacent industries and teaching them software skills.

A few have partnered with La Trobe University’s Shepparton campus for internships and graduate recruitment.

None have fully solved it. This remains the binding constraint on growth.

Why Not Just Build in Melbourne?

I asked founders why they stayed in Shepparton rather than relocating to where talent is concentrated.

“Our customers are here. The problems we solve are visible here. Melbourne developers building for food processing without ever seeing a factory—that doesn’t work.”

“Cost. Our office costs a quarter of Melbourne rates. Staff can buy houses. That matters for building sustainable companies.”

“Network. I know everyone in food processing here. That knowledge and those relationships took twenty years to build. I can’t recreate them in Melbourne.”

The pattern is consistent: founders with deep food industry roots build in Shepparton because it’s where their expertise lives. They wouldn’t have built these companies if they had to relocate.

Infrastructure Needs

What would help the sector grow faster?

Better internet. The NBN in Shepparton is adequate for most purposes, but companies handling large data volumes (images for computer vision, sensor telemetry) sometimes hit limits.

Co-working and incubator space. There’s no dedicated tech workspace. Companies rent offices separately, missing the cluster effects that accelerate growth.

Local investment. Capital mostly comes from Melbourne. A local angel network or regional fund would accelerate early-stage growth.

Skills programs. Structured pathways for food industry workers to develop tech skills would expand the talent pool.

None of these are insurmountable. They’re just areas where intentional investment would pay dividends.

Government Support

Several programs support Shepparton food tech:

Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL) connects food tech companies with funding, expertise, and market access.

Regional Development Victoria has invested in food industry infrastructure and business support.

LaunchVic has funded regional programs accessible to Shepparton founders.

The challenge is fragmentation. Multiple programs exist but navigating them is time-consuming. Founders want to build products, not become grants specialists.

Better coordination—perhaps a single regional navigator role—would increase program uptake. Business Victoria can be a good starting point for navigating available programs.

What Excites Me

What’s most promising about Shepparton’s food tech scene?

Authenticity. These companies solve real problems because founders see those problems daily. The connection between technology and application is direct.

Export potential. Australia’s food technology knowledge is exportable. Systems that work here can work in food-producing regions worldwide.

Community integration. Tech companies are becoming part of Shepparton’s business community, not a separate bubble. That integration creates resilience.

Next generation. Young people are seeing tech careers as viable in Shepparton. That shifts long-term dynamics.

Looking Forward

Shepparton won’t become a generic tech hub—and it shouldn’t try. Its opportunity is focused: becoming the place where food meets technology in Australia.

That positioning is defensible. Melbourne can’t replicate the proximity to food production. Sydney can’t match the industry relationships. Shepparton’s advantage is real.

Whether that advantage translates to significant economic impact depends on continued investment—by companies, by government, and by individuals choosing to build careers here.

The foundation is solid. The trajectory is promising. What happens next is worth watching.