Australian farmers, producers and growers
Coles Group is committed to building strong and collaborative relationships with Australian farmers, producers and growers.
Coles supermarkets has an Australian-first sourcing policyOpens in new window to provide Australian-grown fresh produce as a first priority. Ninety-six per cent of fresh produce and 100 per cent of fresh lamb, pork, chicken, beef, milk and eggs are sourced from Australian suppliers.
Coles also supports Australian producers and growers with long-term contracts. For example, Coles has 10-year agreements with Laurent, TOP Pork Pty Ltd and Sundrop Farms, a nine-year contract with milk supplier Norco and an eight-year agreement with Manbulloo Mangoes. Coles also has a long-term contract with Simplot to supply Australian-grown vegetables which were previously sourced overseas. More supplier stories can be found hereOpens in new window.
Coles complies with country of origin labelling requirements which came into effect in July 2018 and provide transparency around product origin.
Coles Nurture FundCollapsed
Coles supermarkets supports Australian businesses to innovate and grow through the $50 million Coles Nurture Fund.
The Nurture Fund was established in April 2015 and supports small-to-medium businesses in the food and grocery sector with the development of new market-leading products, technologies and processes.
Innovation is one of the primary drivers of competitiveness. Coles recognises that smart, energetic and agile small businesses can be a launch-pad for great product innovation, with Australian customers reaping the benefits of new and exciting ventures in the food industry.
From Australia’s first quinoa processing facility, to chickpea tofu, to home grown garlic and to Australian first prawn farming technology, the Coles Nurture Fund is helping Australian producers bring their big ideas to life.
Applications for the next round of funding are expected to open in the first half of 2019. More information on the Nurture Fund, including application forms, can be found here.
Partnering with the community
Coles is proud of our 104-year contribution to Australia and is committed to serving the communities in which it operates.
Coles’ contribution to the community goes beyond being one of Australia’s largest employers. The business provides significant financial assistance and in-kind donations to national, state and local community partners.
In FY18, the Coles Group’s total community investment was more than $92 million which included direct community investment of more than $67.7 million with an additional $9.3 million contributed by customers, team members and suppliers. This represents a 24 per cent increase in direct community investment compared with FY17 and a five per cent increase in contributions from customers, team members and suppliers.
Coles' community contribution is independently assessed by the London Benchmark Group.
Coles' national community partners are SecondBite and Redkite. In addition to these national partnerships, Coles also supports a range of state and local initiatives which help reduce disadvantage, drive improved health outcomes, reduce environmental impacts, assist the food and grocery sector and contribute to schools and community groups.
To help young people live healthy, active lives, Coles supermarkets also partners with Athletics Australia and Little Athletics Australia to provide support and resources to more than 500 athletics centres across Australia.
More information on our community partners, including information on applying for support, can be found hereOpens in new window.
Responsible service
Coles Group is committed to serving the community responsibly.
Coles Liquor is a signatory to the Alcohol Beverage Advertising Code (ABAC) which requires that advertisements, communications and product labelling include messages promoting responsible alcohol consumption. We continue to partner with DrinkWise - an industry-led, not-for-profit organisation promoting a healthier and safer drinking culture in Australia.
More information about the Responsible Service of Alcohol can be found hereOpens in new window.
Coles operates hotels under the Spirit Hotel brand, of which the majority are based in Queensland where a hotel licence is required to operate a nearby detached bottle shop or packaged liquor store. The majority of hotels across Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales have gaming rooms or lounges which operate around 3,000 gaming machines in total.
Spirit Hotels takes Responsible Service of Gambling (RSG) responsibilities very seriously and more information can be found hereOpens in new window.
