ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
Published March 21-22, 2015
CELEBR ATING 65 YEARS
A WESTERN AUSTRALIAN BRAND THAT STANDS FOR QUALITY IN TASTE, PRODUCT INTEGRITY AND HEALTH AND SAFETY
Congratulations
to D’Orsogna on
celebrating their
65th year
St.George Bank proudly supporting
family businesses in WA.
Our business banking specialists are dedicated to working closely with you to ensure
you have access to the latest banking products and services – to help maximise your
business opportunities.
We’re ready to celebrate your milestones too.
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Michael Cane
Head of Business Banking WA
Brett Douglas
Senior Manager
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BOARD
Fruitful future ahead
Since its establishment 65 years ago,
D’Orsogna and its brand has become
recognised and admired not only in
its original home market of Perth,
but right across Australia.
3
The company is extremely proud of its
Italian origins and produces top quality
meat products and smallgoods that are
stocked in supermarkets shelves in every
state, plus other food retail outlets. The
products are also extremely popular in the
food service industry.
From humble beginnings D’Orsogna now
has major processing facilities in Western
Australia and Victoria, and will soon embark
on another major expansion on the eastern
seaboard to continue to grow its presence in
the Australian market.
Tony Iannello
Chairman, D’Orsogna Ltd
west australian pork
Pork
Board of Directors – Front row (L-R): Brad Thomason (Managing Director), Tony Iannello (Chairman),
Roseanne Thomas (Company Secretary). Back row (L-R): Marco D’Orsogna (son of Giovanni D’Orsogna),
Tina D’Orsogna (daughter of Tommaso D’Orsogna), Eugene D’Orsogna (son of Tommaso D’Orsogna), Reg
Webb (Independent Director), Michael Brown (Accountant representing the Giovanni D’Orsogna Family).
WA Grown
WA Owned
just like
The team at Linley Valley Pork
congratulates D’orsogna on their
2768219_ALKR210315
65th Anniversary
08 9573 1300
Facebook.com/LinleyValleyPork
2768219_ALKR210315
Editor: Louise Allan
Writer: Bianca Bartucciotto
Subeditor: Kirsten Hyam
Design: Kara Smith
Advertising: Ron McFarlane, 9482 3588
The Board and management are passionate
about the business and the quality of
D’Orsogna’s products. With a capable and loyal
workforce and a vision for success, we look
forward to the future with much optimism.
www.dorsogna.com.au
Brad Thomason
Prior to D’Orsogna, Brad spent
30 years in management positions
in the smallgoods and meat
processing industry across Australia,
commencing as a trainee manager
with JC Huttons.
4
His appointment as CEO, Meat and
Dairy Division, George Weston
Foods (GWF), in 1986 brought him
to WA, where his headquarters were
initially Watsons Foods/Watsonia
in Spearwood. He spent 15 years
heading GWF’s Meat and Dairy
Division’s Australia-wide operations.
Brad described the Managing Director
role at D’Orsogna as offering him the
best of both worlds. He respects the
company for retaining the 65-year
flavour and integrity of the D’Orsogna
founders and their families, while at the
same time embracing the challenge of
corporatising the business to the point
where it now leads the way at many
levels of what is a very competitive
sector of the food industry.
D’Orsogna’s executive management team
is a well-trained, highly experienced,
committed group of people, all focused on
ensuring the business grows sustainably
and profitably, while delivering safe,
nutritious food to our valued consumers.
Beloved brand celebrates 65 years of creating fine foods
Welcome to this special 65th
anniversary celebration of the
iconic Western Australian food
brand that is D’Orsogna.
As Managing Director, I invite you to join us
and be part of the great story that is the
65-year history of D’Orsogna.
Our brand stands for quality in terms of taste,
product integrity and health and safety.
The D’Orsogna story will continue to grow,
along with the people of WA and, more
recently, those in the eastern states.
While our landmark Palmyra premises, on the
corner of Stock Road and Leach Highway, has
been our home since 1973, D’Orsogna started
humbly in 1949 as a one-man butcher shop in
Stone Street, West Perth.
For 65 years, D’Orsogna has grown to become
a market leader in WA’s food industry, while
providing a level of customer service and
satisfaction second to none.
D’Orsogna in 2015 employs more than 500
people at Palmyra and another 50 at
our Melbourne facility, making us a truly
national supplier.
Subsequent to our successful move into
eastern Australia with our Melbourne
production unit five years ago, we’re now in a
position to consider further development and
consolidation nationally, with new premises
in Melbourne.
If this proceeds, and it has the Board’s
backing, it would be a state-of-the art facility,
with export accreditation and the latest
available technology in terms of waste
management and energy efficiency.
We’ve been watching and assessing the Asian
market for some time and believe we’re now
in a position to tap into it with a select range
of D’Orsogna fine foods, which we believe
will be welcomed by the Asian population,
tourists and expat residents alike.
I acknowledge co-founder Tommaso
D’Orsogna, who passed away last year at 95
years of age.
He was a great friend to many and has left a
lasting positive legacy.
D’Orsogna’s executive management team is a
well-trained, highly experienced, committed
group of people, all focused on ensuring the
business grows sustainably and profitably,
while delivering safe, nutritious food to our
valued consumers.
I pay tribute to my management team and all
staff here in WA and across the country and,
in particular, on the east coast I commend
the professionalism and efforts of our
Melbourne-based National Sales Manager
Colin Sullivan.
I’ve worked with Colin for many years
and he’s had the task of establishing
the D’Orsogna brand on the east coast, but,
most importantly, building sustainable
relationships with the supermarket majors.
He’s done an exceptional job with, of course,
support from others in the sales team.
While the company proudly retains the
original D’Orsogna family values and
business ethics, it is a corporate entity with
high standards of governance and a strategic
vision.
I hope you enjoy reading this magazine,
while learning a little about some of the
people who help make D’Orsogna and our
fine foods part of modern Australian dining
on a daily basis.
The D’Orsogna name still ‘flavours’ the
company today, with the presence on the
Board of Marco (son of Giovanni) and Tina
and Eugene (daughter and son of Tommaso).
You’ll also have the opportunity to join the
D’Orsogna family by becoming part of our
rapidly growing social media network via
Facebook, Twitter and our website.
And, perhaps most importantly, you’ll enjoy
some fabulous recipes and read why some
of WA’s leading chefs and food writers rate
D’Orsogna’s product range so highly.
To all our customers and suppliers and all
D’Orsogna staff and associates, past and
present, a sincere thank you for helping us
build our business and brand.
On behalf of the D’Orsogna family, Board,
management and staff, I invite you, our
‘extended family’, to celebrate our 65th
anniversary by enjoying our fine food
products.
Brad Thomason,
Managing Director, D’Orsogna Ltd
Congratulations
D’Orsogna on 65 Years
Of the 65 years D’Orsogna have
been in business,Woolworths is
proud to have enjoyed 57 years of
partnership together.
We congratulate D’Orsogna
on being awarded as Woolworths’
“Fresh Added Value Supplier
of the Year” for 2014.
Congratulations D’Orsogna
for your wonderful achievements.
We look forward to working
closely together for many more years.
www.dorsogna.com.au
D’Orsogna prides itself on the
quality of the product and
ensuring it is consistent, so that’s
why customers keep coming
back because they know they
are going to get a good quality
product at the end of the day.
6
The secret to D’Orsogna’s
legendary taste
Nowadays D’Orsogna’s recipes are
kept under lock and key to protect
that great taste the company prides
itself on.
That great taste can be credited to
Tommaso D’Orsogna’s early days in
the smallgoods industry.
Soon after turning 16, Tom started
work at a smallgoods factory under
the watchful eye of a gentle-natured
man named Harry Hunter, the master
manufacturer.
Harry was a returned serviceman
from World War One and was
renowned for making the best
sausages, polony and corned beef
in town.
His special ingredients, however,
were a secret which he did not
reveal to anyone.
As Harry’s health began to fade as
a result of his stint in the Western
Front, he presented Tom with a list of
the secret ingredients.
Tom’s life changed forever. He
was able to negotiate better pay
conditions for himself at the factory
and send more money back to his
family in Italy.
Innovation and quality are top of mind
Quality has been a word long
associated with the D’Orsogna
product throughout the
company’s 65-year history.
And the current Board and
management team simply won’t
let that slip.
With a new Quality Assurance Manager on
board (see page 11), the company is intent on
staying at the forefront of quality continental
meats and smallgoods.
With a number of awards up its sleeve and a
seemingly endless list of companies who use
and sell their products, D’Orsogna is always
looking for new ways to innovate and to
keep up with the latest customer
requirements and food trends.
D’Orsogna General Manager Technical
Services Chang Wang said the company
always looked to the market and ensured the
products being shipped out of the factory
were of the highest possible standard.
Recently the company took out an award
from Subway for its hard work in reducing
sodium levels in the product. Mr Wang said
this was a key strategy of the company to
satisfy consumer expectations.
“This country has been very proactive in
sodium reduction and we worked very, very
hard across product ranges to achieve this,”
Mr Wang said.
The international award was given to
D’Orsogna for being a champion of sodium
reduction.
“That is something we are forever trying to
provide, a healthier product,” Mr Wang said.
“I feel very proud of that because as a
team we contributed to sodium
reduction and keeping up the general
health of the consumers.
“It’s not just a marketing trend but also a need
for consumer wellbeing.”
Telesales supervisor Modesto Giancaspro
fields the emails, phone calls and faxes that
come in to the company about the product
and the delivery schedules.
Mr Giancaspro said he saw a lot of the
feedback and suggestions from customers
and clients.
He said customers were happy with the
quality products and the service provided by
the company.
“D’Orsogna prides itself on the quality of the
product and ensuring it is consistent, so that’s
why customers keep coming back because
they know they are going to get a good
quality product at the end of the day,” Mr
Giancaspro said.
“We get some good feedback and a lot of
people like our boneless ham. At Christmas
we send out a lot of hams on the bone and
the companies that come back are saying
they really like the product and that’s why we
get repeat orders.”
Darren Dempster
Melbourne-based Operations Manager,
Darren Dempster, says his D’Orsogna
‘elevator pitch’, refined over seven years
with the company is very clear: “Made
by Australians for Australians, our quality
is second to none and our products
are produced in a clean room
environment.”
7
Darren has been running D’Orsogna’s
Melbourne operations since day one
(April 2009), when the company
bought the Mt Waverley premises and
commenced a massive renovation and
upgrading program at what was a ‘tired’
old smallgoods factory.
D’Orsogna Managing Director, Brad
Thomason, who identified the
opportunity and negotiated the purchase,
had worked with Max Davis, previous
owner of the factory, at Huttons.
According to Darren, the facility had to
be completely gutted internally and
rebuilt inside.
“The former premises was not up to
today’s standard, but after several million
dollars of investment in new plant and
equipment and infrastructure, the facility
now is highly functional, with zero
contact between raw processing and
cooked, state of the art equipment and
one particular line which is ahead of the
game in manufacturing in the smallgoods
industry in Australia,” he said.
D’Orsogna’s Melbourne operation
employs 50 staff and manufactures to
supply D’Orsogna branded bulk ham for
Woolworths delicatessens nationally and
D’Orsogna branded sliced and shaved
meats, ham, chicken and salami to
Woolworths nationally also.
Before starting with D’Orsogna, Darren
was Production Manager with Castle
Bacon (KR Castlemaine), where he’d
worked for 26 years.
He also managed a small poultry
processing plant in Bendigo, Victoria for
two years.
Aside from his obvious passion for
D’Orsogna, Darren is devoted to his family
too, including wife Mei, who is Operations
Manager for a company known as
Community Chef and his three sons,
Darren was a keen Australian Rules
footballer and coach, raced bikes
and competed in triathlons, twice
representing Australia in Hawaii Ironman
world championships.
Expanding its reach across the east coast
The future of the family-owned
company-turned-powerhouse
meat manufacturing and
distribution company is bright,
with expansion on the horizon.
While the company started from humble
beginnings in a little factory in Western
Australia under the watchful eye of three
Italian brothers, expanding export potential
is now on the cards.
D’Orsogna is in the middle of plans for
the expansion of its Melbourne facility,
which originally opened in 2009 to increase
the company’s reach across eastern Australia.
D’Orsogna Financial Controller Roseanne
Thomas said the company was now looking
at a number of options to expand its presence
in Victoria, an exciting prospect for the state.
The company’s workforce in Melbourne
stands at about 50 employees, but Dr
Thomas said this could expand up to
150 people.
“We have a factory in Melbourne, but it’s only
small and the Board is currently exploring
options to build a much bigger factory in
Melbourne,” Dr Thomas said.
“It will probably be a similar size to our
headquarters factory in Perth and will give us
the capacity to supply the eastern states and
the ability to export from this side or that side
by increasing throughput.”
Dr Thomas credited a significant portion of
this success to Brad Thomason, who she said
had taken the company from strength to
strength since he was appointed as Managing
Director in 2000.
D’Orsogna’s Melbourne team – L-R: Peng Mach (Supervisor), Miriam Mercado (Operations Coordinator),
Ingrid Radegonde (Quality Manager), Veronique Chung (Technical Projects), Brian Spehr (Production
Manager) and Darren Dempster (Operations Manager).
“It’s always been a good business with a
strong foundation, but I think when Brad
came onboard in 2000 he took it to another
level because he had very good contacts
within the retail sector and also the meat
industry,” she said.
“Certainly we expect it to keep growing. The
Board is very supportive strategically with
investment and I think it will continue.”
The company has been investing a lot
of money into staying ahead of the game
as it continues to look for new ways
to grow.
D’Orsogna Managing Director Brad
Thomason said all investments for future
growth were strategic.
“Effectively, when looking to identify and
establish new markets and grow existing
ones for the D’Orsogna brand and our
products, we focus on world’s best practice
in everything we do, whether that be in
terms of procuring the latest available
plant and equipment or sourcing the safest,
best quality primary product for our
manufactured range or hiring the best
available people,” he said.
“That commitment to excellence means
we will scope the world, for example,
when looking to invest in technology and
machinery that will maintain our position
as a recognised and respected fine foods
market leader in Australia.
“We have always allocated substantial
funding to research and development
at all levels of our business and continue
to do so.”
It may have been difficult for the D’Orsogna
brothers to ever dream of this success
when they first started in 1949 after a
challenging early life as Italian immigrants,
but as a testament to hard work and the
power of will, the company’s best days are
yet to come.
www.dorsogna.com.au
D’Orsogna has an awesome
track record of ‘family’, quality,
diversity and integrity...all essential
ingredients that make up the brand.
8
L di chef
Leading
h f
champions produce
Growing up in the then small
country town of Bunbury, I was
blessed with a mum who loved
to cook.
Mum took me on trips to the local corner
family-run butcher store.
Here I was mesmerised by the range of meats
and smallgoods on offer and the butcher
always gave us a slice of this and that to taste.
Fast-forward 50 years and thank God some
of the real values in my life haven’t changed.
Like dealing with another family-run
business D’Orsogna, which has an awesome
track record of ‘family’, quality, diversity and
integrity...all essential ingredients that make
up the powerhouse of the brand that
is D’Orsogna.
I started my first restaurant in the small
south-west town of Augusta in 1980 and from
that day I have used D’Orsogna products.
The latest event I catered for with a range
of tasty smallgoods was at the 2014 Ord
Valley Muster in Kununurra, where I
showcased and fed 650 black tie
corporate diners a shared D’Orsogna
antipasto platter.
Rock on D’Orsogna, for you are a real asset to
the Australian food and hospitality industries.
Don Hancey
WA Food Ambassador
www.pwc.com.au
Congratulations
D’Orsogna on 65 years
in Western Australia!
PwC Perth are proud to provide services
to Western Australian businesses.
Our team is committed to helping local businesses deliver
the best ideas and thinking to help you succeed.
We are proud to provide services to companies who are
dedicated to growing and shaping our state’s future.
From left:
Justin Carroll, Managing Partner, WA;
Amanda Williams, Private Clients Partner;
Paul Naglan, Tax and Legal Partner
One of the food production “jewels”
Whatever you call it – smallgoods,
charcuterie, cold cuts, salumi – try and
imagine a cuisine without cured meats.
What began millennia ago as a way to
preserve pig meat for later use, has
become one of the jewels of international
food production.
Smallgoods are still mostly made from
pork – bresaola, air-dried beef, is an
obvious exception – and have become
high art, particularly in Italy and France
and Spain where the curing of hams,
bacon and sausage is a seriously
arcane enterprise.
Is there anything grander than a bacon
and egg sarni slathered with ketchup after
a hard night, or a mortadella sandwich with
a beer.
Think also of the great smallgoods pairings of
all time: prosciutto and melon; blood sausage
and seared scallops; bacon and eggs, the list
goes on.
Australians love their smallgoods, thanks
to generations of mostly Italians who have
created some of the most well-known cured
and processed meat brands in the country.
In the case of prosciutto and jamon, the
temperature of the air, humidity, the effect
of smoke, the pig’s diet and the mere
presence of airborne bacteria and local herbs
are all factors in the finished product.
A rare pata negra ham can sell for as much as
$500 a kilogram.
Similarly fine prosciutto can command high
prices. But it’s the more demotic offerings
like mortadella and bacon that are the
most loved.
If you want to include smart cold cuts into
your cooking, especially in summer, there’s
nothing better than a well thought out
antipasti plate.
Remember always slice thin and ‘gloss’
the meats with a thin drizzle of olive oil
for the table.
Want something a little special? Wrap a
chicken breast in thinly sliced prosciutto
and colour it in a fry pan before finishing in
the oven. Salty, porky, superb.
Or how about diced guanciale, rendered and
crisped in a frying pan before being tossed
HAPPY 65TH ANNIVERSARY D’ORSONGA!
From the team at Linde Material Handling, Western Australia
with long pasta, raw egg, grated pecorino and
lashings of fresh black pepper for a famous
Roman dish called spaghetti carbonara (and
remember, never, ever add cream to your
carbonara – hold back some of the pasta
water to thin out the sauce).
9
Australians love their smallgoods,
thanks to generations of mostly
Italians who have created some
of the most well-known cured
and processed meat brands in
the country.
Or best of all, grab a few slices of Jamon
Serrano, a glass of chilled sherry and enjoy
one of the finest pre-dinner snacks you’ll
ever experience.
Rob Broadfield
Food Editor
The West Australian
Visy congratulates D’Orsogna
on their 65th Anniversary.
Proud Suppliers of
recyclable cardboard packaging.
1300 135 463
From the team at Linde Material Handling, Western Australia
HAPPY 65TH ANNIVERSARY D’ORSONGA!
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www.dorsogna.com.au
“D’Orsogna has evolved from serving very
traditional products to a more diversified
range of products and flavours.
10
“And we’re very innovative, with not
only the taste of the product, but the
packaging of the product itself.
10
“D’Orsogna is going from strength to
strength as I have witnessed over the past
15 years.”
Walking through the factory, Chang is
commonly greeted by his colleagues.
“D’Orsogna is truly a family business and
you have a sense of belonging here and
there are a lot of good people,” he said.
Chang Wang
General Manager Technical Services
Tallying an impressive 15 years at the
company this year, D’Orsogna General
Manager Technical Services Chang Wang
is excited about the future.
here,” she said. “My children have grown
up knowing where mum works and enjoy
eating D’Orsogna products.”
Dianne looks after employee welfare,
occupational health and safety, industrial
relations and payroll administration,
which means she’s a busy lady. But, as she
says, the work pays off when you work in
such a supportive team.
“One of the things I love about D’Orsogna,
having come from a European
background myself, is the company offers
opportunities for people who ordinarily
may find it difficult to find work in other
places,” Dianne said.
“We have a very lean management style,
so we spend a lot of time in the factory.
We get down there and have a chat with
the staff, which is always a highlight of
my day.”
Dianne worked up through the ranks at
the company like many others.
Dianne Davies
HR Manager
After achieving her diploma in business,
Dianne Davies signed on at D’Orsogna for
work experience, where her mum and
dad were already working. Little did she
know, 18 years later she would be heading
up the human resources department.
“I started in accounts after doing a
diploma in business and I originally came
here just for work experience; that was
my intention,” she said. “But I really fell in
love with the people and then I was given
an opportunity to join the HR team in
1998 and from there I progressed.”
Between Dianne, her mother and father,
they have completed 63 years at the
company. “There’s a real sense of family
because we have a lot of husbands, wives,
mothers, daughters and sons working
“If you show commitment to the
company, the company then rewards
you with the opportunity to further
your career. I have seen the business go
through a change from a family-style
business to a corporate business.”
“When Brad Thomason came on board
in 2000, he took the business to the next
level with the support of the Board,
the executive management team and,
of course, the hard-working employees,”
she said.
Dianne said the working environment
was reflected in the quality of the product.
She said the company committed to the
needs and expectations of its employees
by providing secure employment and
helping them create a work-life balance.
“When you’ve got a happy team, it reflects
positively in your end product,” Dianne said.
“My focus is firstly quality assurance,
which is to provide our stakeholders
with the assurance of our product safety,
product quality and product integrity and
the other aspect is to do with innovation,
which is research and development,”
Chang said.
“At D’Orsogna we want to be ahead of the
game, so therefore we need to innovate
and keep not only our stakeholders
interested, but our general public
consumers satisfied with our product
and to keep promoting our brand.
“The company is family owned and I
understand the family has always been
very supportive of quality assurance
innovation initiatives.
“D’Orsogna started as a local company
serving a local market to now being truly
national, serving consumers right across
the country.
“We’re supportive of each other, so we
grow in that sort of environment.”
Chang pointed out there were many
people on the payroll who had been with
the company for more than 25 years, a
testament to the values of the company
and the commitment to staff.
“It is hard work, I suppose, like any other
business. If you want to stay ahead you’ve
got to work hard,” he said.
“But that hard work is appreciated here.
“There’s an ongoing understanding and
respect between the people in the factory,
their supervisors, the line managers and
the senior managers because we’re very
much hands-on people.
“By doing that, most of the people within
the organisation value and respect each
other’s jobs and that translates to loyalty
to the company.”
Chang takes his job at the company very
seriously and said he felt a great sense of
pride when he saw someone slicing up a
lovely, fresh D’Orsogna leg ham.
“That’s what keeps me going,” he said.
Valeria Krasnova
high standards set by the family all
those years ago.
Quality Assurance Manager
“My job includes maintaining our food
safety system and we’ve got a very
strong food quality system, requiring
constant revision, implementation and
verification,” she said.
One of the newest members of the
D’Orsogna family is Quality Assurance
Manager Valeria Krasnova. A recent
graduate of the Royal Melbourne
Institute, Valeria held only one job within
the food industry before her time at
D’Orsogna, but couldn’t resist the allure
of working for what she described as “a
Western Australian institution”.
“I also conduct training of personnel on
different topics to keep them updated.
“My department also runs a range
of verification programs for all the
processes and all the company
compliances and customer standards,
so we need to ensure if they change
anything, we’re on the same page.”
“About seven years ago, I drove past the
site and thought ‘oh my gosh, what is that
fantastic smell?’ and I turned around and
saw it was D’Orsogna and seven years
later here I am,” she said.
Valeria also looks after customer
complaints, of which there are very
few, but said she received many
compliments about D’Orsogna
products.
Valeria said she had become fascinated
with the company and all the processes
in place.
“Because I work here and I know how it
operates, I’m actually fascinated,” she said.
“When I came here I was really surprised,
in a good way, with how management
pursued quality and the maintenance of
the family business culture.”
Valeria fondly recalled her welcome at
the company and said she now felt right
at home.
11
“There was a big welcome everyone knew
about,” she said. “It was a great push for me.
Everyone works together as a team and that’s
a very nice feeling to be part of that team.”
Valeria is responsible for keeping
the D’Orsogna products up to the very
“The incredible thing about D’Orsogna
is it never stops and it always develops,”
she said.
“It keeps tuned to our customer
preferences and wider consumer
trends and requirements. This always
brings freshness to your work and you
always remain enthused and proactive.”
Janice Monastra
Sales Analyst
Sales Analyst Janice Monastra,
having worked at D’Orsogna for an
impressive 28 years, said she loved
the ‘family feel’ of the company and
the presence of the family in the
business was one of the reasons so
many employees remained loyal.
Massimo Valentini
Senior Business Manager
D’Orsogna Senior Business Manager
Massimo Valentini understands the
company’s business inside out, which
comes from the 15 years he has spent on
the production side and 10 years in sales.
Highly experienced and well-regarded
WA-based account managers Terry
Bassula, Eddie Murphy and Silvano
Persichillo are part of the sales team.
A team led by Steve Vradis coordinates
D’Orsogna’s vast distribution network
in WA and interstate using a variety of
transport companies and contractors to
ensure products get delivered on time,
every time.
D’Orsogna’s trucks supply metropolitan Perth
and the company engages skilled contractors
to deliver products into all capital cities, plus
many regional areas in North Queensland,
Northern Territory, Tasmania and North West
WA ( Broome, Exmouth and Geraldton).
“Our Facebook page, for example, has
more than 20,000 likes,” he said.
D’Orsogna has a depot in Bunbury, led by
Glenn Jones, which distributes products to
the South West.
“This, along with our regular recipes
from chef Matt Golinski, means we can
quickly and regularly inform new and
old customers about how our range of
D’Orsogna products can fit in with their
busy lifestyles.
Although transporting perishable goods is
always challenging, considering the time
and distance they often must cover to reach
ultimate points of sale, D’Orsogna manages
this with strict controls on refrigeration,
appropriate packaging and transport logistics.
Working in the social media age
A passionate advocate for the reach and
market penetration that social media and
the digital age offers a progressive company
such as D’Orsogna, Massimo has been a
driving force behind the development and
refinement of D’Orsogna’s website and
Facebook page.
Massimo said he believed social media
offered an important pathway to reaching
consumers, and described it as “the public
but personal voice of the company”.
“A recent initiative was partnering
with Julie Dundon from Nutrition
Professionals Australia to offer followers
healthy dining tips.
“Our partnership with Amanda of
Cooking For Busy Mums is also an
important community link and last year
she featured D’Orsogna’s Lunchtime
Legend Campaign, headed by Matt
Golinski, and filmed 10 recipes using
the D’Orsogna range along with Matt
Golinski and supplied a free e-book for
the entertaining season.”
This year Amanda will incorporate two
recipes a month using the D’Orsogna
range and show followers how they
can easily use D’Orsogna products
at home. Look out for the hashtag
#dorsognaathome to view the recipes
and photos Amanda shares.
“When I first started, it was the
family running the business and it
was Tina D’Orsogna who employed
me, but that feeling has continued
all the way through, even since new
management was introduced some
15 years ago,” she said.
“They care about their employees
and while work is important, family is
important as well. I think that’s why
people stay.
“It helps you work better when you
know your employer cares about you
and your family.”
As a sales analyst, Janice’s role entails
sales reporting, helping out the sales
representatives and pricing and
promotions.
Her favourite product is the premium
boneless leg ham, but she said there
was always room to grow.
“I’ve almost grown up with D’Orsogna
products and just the other day I was
saying to someone it doesn’t matter
what ham I taste, I still go back to that
premium boneless. To me, it’s still the
best one,” Janice said.
www.dorsogna.com.au
David Starick
Operations Manager
12
Although David Starick has worked in the
meat industry for 40 years, he describes
his past 15 years as Operations Manager
at D’Orsogna as the most exciting and
challenging, working closely with
Managing Director Brad Thomason to
modernise the WA plant and ensure
work practices keep pace with increased
production demands.
Brad described David’s contribution
as positive and a genuine catalyst to
production improvement.
“We’re probably putting through three
times the volume of product that we were
back in 2000 when I started,” David said.
“This clearly reflects growing demand
for D’Orsogna’s products, which have a
reputation in the marketplace second
to none.
“The productivity and profitability of any
meat processing business is all about
throughput, yield and production of a
consistent, quality product and I believe
this is where D’Orsogna’s Palmyra factory has
become a real trendsetter across the industry.”
Most of the processing machinery and
equipment at the factory is sourced
from Europe and, where possible, according
to David, D’Orsogna invests with suppliers
that have an Australian-based operation to
ensure a high level of after-sales service.
“Machine and operator downtime can
significantly affect the bottom line, so
starting with the most affordable, best
available equipment backed up by good
maintenance helps minimise downtime,”
he said.
During his career, which includes time
at Chapmans (SA), Watsons (WA) and
Melosi (NSW), David has witnessed
remarkable improvements in machine
productivity, noting, by way of example,
that it once took five slicers to do what
one does now.
CONGRATULATIONS TO D’ORSOGNA
ON THEIR 65TH ANNIVERSARY.
SCOTT’S IS D’ORSOGNA’S TRUSTED REFRIGERATED TRANSPORT OPTION.
Ryan decided to take up a post at Benny’s
Gelati, an icecream factory owned by
D’Orsogna, to work for one year.
enjoy every day, as each is different and
that’s why I look forward to coming to
work every day,” he said.
That one year then turned into 18 years with
the same company.
Ryan is proud to be part of such an
upstanding and respected company
as D’Orsogna.
“I started at Benny’s Gelati, which D’Orsogna
owned at the time, and worked there for
18 months,” Ryan said. “Then I had the
opportunity to come to D’Orsogna. I started
on the factory floor in dispatch doing
scanning and stock control in finished goods.”
Our reputation in the community
is that we produce a safe, quality
product and people know what
they’re buying and they buy our
products with confidence.
Ryan Barrett
Production Planning Manager
Since 2005 Ryan has been responsible for
production planning and meat planning.
Taking a gap year after high school
was the start of big things for
D’Orsogna Production Planning
Manager Ryan Barrett.
“I was given an opportunity by Brad to do
the production planning, so I accepted the
promotion and I’ve basically been doing that
since then. It’s been very challenging and I
13
“Our reputation in the community is
that we produce a safe, quality product and
people know what they’re buying and they
hey
buy our products with confidence,” he said.
aid.
Ryan has seen firsthand the amount of stock
that comes out of the factory doors as it
gets loaded into well-maintained, chilled
d
delivery trucks.
He said the work environment at D’Orsogna
ogna
was second to none.
“I’ve learned a lot from the people I’ve dealt
l
with at the company,” Ryan said.
“I think people enjoy coming to work here
and we’re always busy. I think at the core is
the family.
“It all comes down to family, loyalty and
hard work, which are the foundations of
D’Orsogna.”
Ryan said the best thing about working
for the company was that it was always
positive and it was motivating knowing
the business came from humble
beginnings.
“I think we all appreciate that still to this
day,” he said.
Corporate Superannuation | Executive Risk | Private Wealth
Australasia’s Leading Employee Beneﬁts Advisory Group
Would like to congratulate D’Orsogna on its
65th Anniversary
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CALL 1300 557 782
VISIT www.super-advice.com.au
D’Orsogna has built a solid
reputation in the community, and
doing business with D’Orsogna
has been a genuine pleasure.
Our advisers have also enjoyed
working with a loyal team of
dedicated employees for over
20 years.
We are pleased to provide
D’Orsogna and CEO Brad
Thomason
with
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We look forward to many more
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Best wishes from the team at
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www.dorsogna.com.au
14
The D’Orsogna story
The 65-year-old D’Orsogna
business story begins as a family
story almost 90 years ago, when
Luigi D’Orsogna travelled to the
United States in 1926 to visit two
of his brothers who had migrated
there four years earlier.
Italians Luigi and Concetta D’Orsogna had
eight children: Antonietta (1914), Cesare
(1917), Tommaso (1918), Giovanni (1920),
Mario (1922), Pierino (1923), Rosa (1925) and
Esterina (1926).
Luigi returned to Italy shortly after,
understanding his small herd of 12 dairy cows
could sustain him and his extended family
better than working in the US. He heard from
relatives in his village of “la nuova America”
or the new America, as Australia was
colloquially nicknamed, and all the money
that was to be made there.
Determined to migrate to Australia, Luigi
did so in October 1927, departing Italy for
Australia aboard the ship Caprera and arriving
in Fremantle on November 29.
With the Great Depression starting to bite,
he travelled from town to town looking for
work, before starting in a granite quarry in
Roleystone in 1929.
Tommaso D’Orsogna, left, and his brother Giovanni.
During the 1930s, Wiluna, in Central Western
Australia, was a thriving mining community
with a population of more than 8000,
of which 200-250 were Italian. Hearing
about Wiluna’s prosperity, Luigi travelled
there in 1931, finding work at Wiluna Gold
Mines Limited.
After two years he had enough money to buy
a passage for two of his sons, Cesare, aged 16
and Tommaso (Tom), aged 14, who arrived
in Fremantle on September 12, 1933 aboard
the ship Romolo. The pair were greeted by
Mr Casotti, owner of an Italian restaurant in
James Street, Perth.
After a couple of days with Mr Casotti,
the brothers started their journey by train
to Wiluna.
When they arrived, Luigi enrolled them at the
local Catholic school, but they didn’t remain
there too long, with Cesare finding work at
the Italian-owned and operated Rome Bakery,
where he spent 15 months before joining his
father at the mines at the age of 18.
Luigi, with Tom by his side, approached Jim
Clarke, who managed Wiluna Meat Supply,
about work for Tom. Mr Clarke said there was
work at the abattoir 10km out of Wiluna, for
a man but not for a boy of 15 years. Luigi’s
persistence, however, convinced Mr Clarke to
give Tom a chance to prove himself.
Tom constantly asked Mr Clarke if there
were any jobs at the butcher shop in town
and eventually he started in the smallgoods
manufacturing factory adjacent to the Wiluna
Meat Supply’s Butcher Shop, where he spent
four years making Australian-style sausages,
frankfurts, polony, corned beef, pickled pork
and dripping.
Effectively, this was the beginning of
D’Orsogna Limited as it is known today.
Cesare, due for a holiday after three years of
mining at Wiluna, headed for Fremantle to
greet another brother, Giovanni (John), who
had arrived in Fremantle on January 9, 1938
aboard the ship Remo.
15
They returned to Wiluna to join their father.
Cesare and four other Italian men thought
they would try their hand at gold prospecting
at Mt Vernon (120km east of Wiluna), after
hearing of a great gold find.
Due to the shortage of work in 1939 at Wiluna
Meat Supply, Tom finished there and joined
his brother Cesare prospecting at Mt Vernon.
Shortly after, Australia officially entered
World War Two and during the next few years
the D’Orsogna brothers were captured and
interned, despite Tom, Cesare and John being
Australian citizens.
After all three were released in August 1944,
Cesare joined the merchant navy, John
moved to Kalgoorlie to work at the Main
Reef Hotel as a barman and Tom began work
at Robbs Jetty, south of Fremantle, where
he spent three years in the boning room,
slaughtering area and cool rooms.
From there, Tom left for Melbourne in 1947
and found daytime employment at Otto
Wurth Pty Ltd, a continental smallgoods
manufacturer in North Melbourne. In the
evenings, he was employed at Cafe Latin, 206
Exhibition Street, and Mario’s Restaurant, 198
Exhibition Street, Melbourne. Brother John
also moved to Melbourne in 1947 to work at
Cafe Latin.
After two productive years in Melbourne,
Tom returned to Perth, having learnt
enough about continental and Italian-style
smallgoods and opened his own smallgoods
business, T. D’Orsogna Family Butcher in
Tommaso D’Orsogna
(1918-2014) tribute
Giovanni’s son Marco D’Orsogna, left, and Tommaso’s children Tina and Eugene D’Orsogna.
Stone Street, West Perth in March 1949,
marrying Maria Carrello the same year.
John returned to Perth in May 1949, in
partnership with Tom.
Luigi returned permanently to Italy in 1951,
after an absence of 24 years.
As their business prospered, Tom and
John involved themselves in many pursuits,
sponsoring numerous cultural activities
important to Italians. They established the
D’Orsogna Cup in 1960, a soccer competition
that helped establish and promote soccer in
Western Australia at a time when Australian
Rules was the dominant football code. It was
the state’s premier soccer competition for
more than 30 years.
John D’Orsogna developed the Italian Choir
in Perth and later became patron of the
Western Australia Opera Company. In June
1955, John’s wife Diva arrived in Australia.
The couple had been married in Italy when
John returned to his hometown.
Tom and John were both awarded an Italian
Cavalierato for their services to the Italian
community in WA; Tom in 1967 and John
in 1972.
D’Orsogna Smallgoods moved from West
Perth to the corner of Leach Highway and
Stock Road, Palmyra in 1973.
D’Orsogna’s wide range of products is now
sold Australia-wide.
After receiving the sad news on
January 8, 2014 of the passing of
D’Orsogna co-founder Tommaso
D’Orsogna, Managing Director Brad
Thomason said Tommaso’s widely
admired work ethic and generosity
made him an inspiration to his family,
his business, his 500 or so employees
at D’Orsogna and the wider WA
community.
“From very humble beginnings, he
helped build a smallgoods enterprise
that has proudly served Western
Australians the finest of continental
meats for more than 65 years,” Mr
Thomason said.
“He was devoted to his wife Maria and
their children Concetta (Tina), Luigi,
Loreta and Eugenio and will long
be remembered and respected as a
pioneer and visionary.”
www.dorsogna.com.au
to grow with confidence. The openness of
the relationship has enabled D’Orsogna to
read changes in consumer demands and
expectations and for this to be fed back to
the production system, enabling D’Orsogna
to remain at the forefront of producing
premium quality smallgoods.
D’Orsogna purchases pigs on a weekly basis
from Westpork and from well-respected WA
Great Southern farmers Dawson Bradford
and Steve Lyneham.
16
Paddock to plate
relationships grow
D’Orsogna has always prided
itself on maximising its use
of the best available, locallygrown Western Australian pork
in its smallgoods products.
And that commitment has grown
exponentially in the 30 years since D’Orsogna
first invested, as a foundation shareholder,
in Westpork. Starting with a base of 400
sows, the business now controls more than
10,000 sows at its well-run sites at Gingin,
Serpentine, Kojonup and Mt Barker.
The D’Orsogna family has played a key
role in the long-term success of Westpork.
Ken Boughton and Tom D’Orsogna
started with a vision of building a farm
D’Orsogna’s pork producer suppliers offer a
range of production systems, including:
• Outdoor bred, where adult breeding sows
live in open spaces with free access to
paddocks.
• Loose housed deep litter systems.
• Environmentally controlled sheds based
around large groups.
L-R: Pig farmers Steve Lyneham and Dawson Bradford with Massimo Valentini of D’Orsogna and
Neil Ferguson of Westpork.
to supply D’Orsogna locally-produced pork.
The vision has grown beyond this, with
Westpork not only supplying D’Orsogna
but a number of key fresh meat suppliers
within WA.
But the D’Orsogna commitment remains,
with cousins Marco and Eugene D’Orsogna
being long-term board members of Westpork.
D’Orsogna is the second largest shareholder.
The partnership delivers pigs to D’Orsogna of
a set quality and weight criteria 52 weeks of
the year.
The consistency and long-term nature of
the partnership has allowed both businesses
• Intensive breeder units based on
confinement limited to the first five days of
gestation.
Westpork was the first WA pork producer
to introduce electronic sow feeders, which
allow sows to live in large groups while being
individually fed and avoiding aggression
pressures at feeding time.
All Westpork pig feed is procured from
Inghams or Wesfeeds, utilising local, WAgrown grain and as much local ingredients
as possible.
D'Orsogna Board and Executive thank all supporters
of the 65th Anniversary magazine.
west australian pork
Pork
CONGRATULATIONS TO
ON 65 GREAT YEARS
Combining passions delivers quality
At the end of 2014 D’Orsogna
was awarded Woolworths Fresh
Added Value Supplier of the
Year for 2014.
“It has embraced customer insights and
shares our passion for customers, whilst
being commercially and strategically
aligned,” she said.
The company has worked extremely hard
for its relationship with the major retailer
and said it was continually improving for the
needs of its customers.
“It has achieved growth significantly
above that of the delicatessen
department and continues to deliver very
high standards of product quality
and supply.
Woolworths Head of Trade Delicatessen
Martine Cooper said D’Orsogna demonstrated
collaboration at its best.
“Woolworths is proud to have been
working with this supplier for 57 of its
65 years.”
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Congratulations to D’Orsogna for 65 years in
the Australian smallgoods
industry.
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2777095πJFRMcF210315
D’Orsogna Store Merchandisers Janette Back, left, and Joan Clarke, right, with Woolworths South Fremantle
Store Manager Belinda McDonnell.
www.dorsogna.com.au
Spanish chicken and chorizo paella
4 Servings
30 minutes preparation
30 minutes cooking
18
Ingredients
200g D’Orsogna Chorizo or Hot Calabrese Salami, sliced into 1cm thick rounds
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the dinner table is a chore, right? Wrong! For everyday inspiration on
amazing dinners, healthy lunchbox snacks and amazing breakfasts,
follow D’Orsogna on Facebook where chef Matt Golinski provides
some amazing new recipes using the fantastic fresh D’Orsogna
products you can pick up at the supermarket.
400g chicken thighs, diced
Go to www.dorsogna.com.au for more great recipes and the full range
of D’Orsogna products.
1 red capsicum, roasted, peeled and cut into strips
1 onion, diced
30ml olive oil
Pinch of saffron, soaked in 50ml boiling water
1 cup Arborio rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
100g green peas
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp flat parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Fry the chorizo slices in a heavy pan until well coloured on both sides. Remove with a
slotted spoon and set aside.
Fry the chicken in the oil that has been rendered out of the chorizo until it has browned
and is cooked through. Remove and set aside.
Fry the diced onion in olive oil over a low heat until it is well cooked.
Add the rice and continue to cook over a low heat, stirring often, for five minutes.
Add the soaked saffron and allow the rice to absorb the liquid before adding the hot
chicken stock.
Increase the heat to medium and simmer the rice for another five minutes. Stir in the
chorizo, chicken, capsicum, peas, paprika and parsley and continue to cook over a low
heat until all the liquid has absorbed and all the ingredients are mixed through.
Ham and mushroom fettuccine
4 Servings
15 minutes preparation
30 minutes cooking
Ingredients
300g fettuccine
1 clove garlic, sliced
100g button mushrooms
20g butter
200g D’Orsogna Triple Smoked Ham, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme
300ml thickened cream
80g grated cheddar or parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Instructions
Cook the fettuccine in salted boiling water for 12 minutes. Drain and toss with a dash of olive oil
to stop it sticking together.
Saute the garlic, mushrooms and thyme in butter until the mushrooms are cooked.
Add the ham, cream and cheese and bring to the boil.
Season with salt and pepper and add the fettuccine to heat through.
Serve immediately.
Season with salt and cracked black pepper.
Ingredients
400g sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 silverbeet bunch, stripped from its stems
200g D'Orsogna Rindless Streaky Bacon rashers,
cut into strips
100g feta, crumbled
6 large eggs
125ml cream
19
125ml milk
1/2 cup mixed fresh herbs, chopped
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Pinch of white pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
In a saucepan cover the sweet potato with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until just
cooked. Drain well.
Blanch the silverbeet in salted boiling water for 30 seconds, rinse under cold water and
squeeze between your hands until dry. Shred into 5mm strips.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, herbs, spices and salt.
Sweet potato, silverbeet, bacon
and feta frittata
In a non-stick, heavy-based pan, fry the bacon until crispy. Add the sweet potato and
silverbeet and stir well to combine all ingredients evenly.
Pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle over the crumbled feta.
15 minutes preparation
Allow to cook on the stove on a medium heat for one minute to allow the bottom of the
frittata to colour a little, then transfer to a preheated 180C oven for 15-20 minutes or until
the frittata is just set and the top is lightly coloured.
20 minutes cooking
Cut into wedges and serve with a fresh green salad.
4 Servings
CONGRATULATIONS
On your 65th Anniversary
and many years of great success
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2777679πJFRMC210315
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Congratulations Dorsogna on 65 wonderful years!
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