The Alliance Group, originally called Alliance Freezing Company (Southland) Limited and often referred to simply as Alliance, is a company based in New Zealand that is one of the world's largest processors of sheep meat.
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Corporate profile
David Surveyor has since January 2015 been the chief executive officer, succeeding Grant Cuff. Murray Taggart has been chairman of the board of directors since 1 October 2013.
History
In 1948, the Alliance Freezing Company (Southland) Limited was founded in Invercargill as a company owned by farmers. In 1960, the first large freezing works was opened in Lorneville on the outskirts of Invercargill. In 1980, the ownership model was changed and since then, the Alliance Group is a cooperative, where farmers who supply the livestock own the company as shareholders.
The name of the cooperative was changed to Alliance Group Limited in 1990. In 2003, the Alliance Group acquired its first plant in the North Island, the Dannevirke freezing works. In 2008, the cooperative added a second plant in the North Island at Levin.
As of 2015, the Alliance Group has plants in Lorneville, Makarewa, Mataura, Oamaru (Pukeuri Plant), Timaru (Smithfield Plant), Nelson, Dannevirke, and Levin, while the head office is located in Invercargill. A possible merger with cooperative meat producer Silver Fern Farms Limited is in discussion.
Financial performance
In the 2011/12 financial year, the Alliance Group recorded its first operating loss in two decades. The NZ$50m loss was turned into a NZ$5m profit in the 2012/13 financial year. Turnover in the 2012/13 financial year was NZ$1,370m.