SA Chapter HALL OF FAME

Web: www.springgullyfoods.com.au

In 1946, Edward McKee bought a small orange orchard for £30 at a place called Spring Gully in the Adelaide suburbs. He added over 3,000 hens to provide manure for his orange trees and successfully sold oranges and eggs to local merchants. One year, Edward decided to make a Christmas gift of his renowned home-grown pickled onions. They proved wildly popular and overnight Edward McKee discovered that he was in the pickle business.

As the business rapidly expanded, Edward was joined by son-in-law, Allan McMillan, stepson, Eric Webb, and close friend, Malcolm Clyma. When supermarkets began to replace the corner store, Spring Gully’s only option was to expand. A new factory was built on site at Spring Gully and eventually broader distribution was gained through the "Tom the Cheap" supermarket chain in Western Australia and South Australia. Coles and Woolworths followed and Spring Gully Pickles were on their way to outright market leadership in these two states.

Both Allan McMillan's sons (Brian and Garry) and Eric Webb's sons (Kevin and Ross) joined the company in the 1980s. Their initial goals were to make the Spring Gully brand truly national and to upgrade the plant to introduce "best practice" and the quality control systems demanded by the modern market. In 1993 the company moved into purpose-built premises at Cavan. In a truly unique relationship, and showing great understanding and belief in the Company, the partners have discovered that their individual strengths lie in separate parts of the Spring Gully operation.

Spring Gully Pickles is just one Australian brand under a parent company, Spring Gully Foods Pty Ltd. It is still family-owned and operated, has international distribution channels and an experienced third-generation management team continuing the expansion of the business.

Utilising the infrastructure established for Spring Gully Pickles, the company was able to accommodate grocery acquisitions of Leabrook Farms Honey and the Gardener brand as well as a new bottled water product called Nuqua.

Spring Gully has been successful in establishing its products into eastern Australia and is actively developing export markets in the Asia Pacific Region. The future is certainly bright for this iconic South Australian product range.

Spring Gully Foods were Inducted into the FBA (SA) Hall of Fame in 2007.