East Coast Beverages, the farm that will host the Rock The Farm concert on Saturday, September 21, will upgrade its production capacity thanks to a low-interest loan from the State Government.
The business will install automated technology including high speed conveyors, bottling equipment, and advanced line cleaning systems to increase production and reduce waste.
The farm at 993 George Downes Dr, Kulnura, has been supplying fresh fruit juice to the Coast and beyond since 1965.
Saturday’s Rock the Farm is the second annual concert-in-the-farm extravaganza and general admission tickets were still available on the farm’s website on Friday, September 20.
It will feature performances by Daryl Braithwaite, Boom Crash Opera, and the Rebecca Johnson Band.
VIP tickets are sold out as are shuttle bus rides from Gosford station although the Wyong station shuttle bus is still available.
Between hosting music festivals and harvesting fruit, the Central Coast business is also one of seven regional food and beverage manufacturers which signed up for low-interest loans as part of the NSW Government’s $5M pilot Regional Development Roadmap to help boost productivity, create jobs, and deliver advanced manufacturing capabilities.
Loans are available of between $100,000 and $1M, and interest is charged monthly at a fixed rate of 2.5 per cent for the life of the loan.
Loan repayments are interest only for the first two years. The maximum loan term is seven years.
The food and beverage manufacturing sector is a major employer in regional NSW with an annual turnover of $42.5B in 2022/2023 and employed more than 66,000 people as of May 2024.