Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

What Melbourne Food and Wine Festival does

Food + Drink Victoria is a Melbourne-based not-for-profit organization, founded in 1993, that operates the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival and a portfolio of related food and drink industry programs. Its core product is the annual festival, which has grown from 12 events at inception to more than 400 events across Melbourne and regional Victoria, attracting 75,000 attendees in 2025 (up from 71,000 in 2024 and 65,000 in 2023). The organization runs no proprietary technology platform; distribution is handled through its own ticketing site (tix.melbournefoodandwine.com.au), a publishing/content platform (newsletter, recipes, restaurant guides), and partner channels including travel agents and hotel partners. Sub-brands include the Drink Victorian campaign (an industry initiative promoting Victorian beverages on Victorian lists, run with a Drinks Alliance), the MFWF Legends and Trailblazer Awards, the Hospitality Now podcast/forum, and the Greatest of the Mall activation with Vicinity Centres.

The organization's revenue model blends ticket sales from festival events (World's Longest Lunch, Global Dining Series, Crawl & Bite, etc.), corporate partnerships and sponsorships (Visit Victoria as Destination Partner, La Trobe Financial as Principal Partner, Singapore Airlines, HYDE Melbourne Place, OpenTable, Broadsheet, Polestar), year-round publishing/content, and industry services such as the Drink Victorian program. Customers span three segments: consumer food and wine enthusiasts; hospitality industry professionals (venues, chefs, producers); and corporate partners/sponsors. Geographic scope is Victoria, Australia only. The organization is governed by a board chaired by Tina Savona, with Anthea Loucas Bosha as CEO, and operates with a staff of 20–30 from its headquarters at 99 King Street, Melbourne.

Notable from a strategic and structural standpoint: the organization is deeply embedded in the Victorian public-private ecosystem, working with Visit Victoria and the City of Melbourne on flagship programming, and has built a board and partner network that includes major-events operators (The Big Group), hospitality executives, and former tourism industry leaders (VTIC, Tourism Victoria, Tourism Tasmania). There is no parent company, no external investors, and no disclosed revenue figures.

Name

Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

Legal name

Food + Drink Victoria

Website

https://melbournefoodandwine.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Food + Drink Victoria is a not-for-profit organization that has operated the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival since 1993, running 400+ annual events and serving food and wine consumers, hospitality professionals, and corporate sponsors across Victoria, Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food and Beverage Events

NAICS

Food Services and Drinking Places (722), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups) (THAJAGAL), Food, Drink & Culinary Community Festivals (Community-Led) (MPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Food and wine festival
• Culinary events programming
• Hospitality industry promotion
• Food culture publishing
• Regional food tourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Festival Ticket Sales: Revenue from ticket sales to festival events including signature events like World's Longest Lunch, World's Longest Brunch, Global Dining Series, Special Events, and Westside Wanders
2. Partnership and Sponsorship: Corporate partnerships with organizations including Visit Victoria (Destination Partner), La Trobe Financial (Principal Partner), Singapore Airlines, HYDE Melbourne Place, and event partners. Revenue through sponsorship agreements and partner activations.
3. Publishing and Content: Year-round publishing platform offering food and drink content, recipes, restaurant guides, and industry news
4. Industry Services: Consulting services and industry programs including Drink Victorian campaign, Legends and Trailblazer Awards, MFWF Legends Awards, and industry forums

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Food + Drink Victoria, a not-for-profit organisation, operates the annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival — Australia's largest food and wine festival, running since 1993 with more than 400 events across Melbourne and regional Victoria. The organisation also runs year-round industry initiatives including the Drink Victorian campaign, the MFWF Legends and Trailblazer Awards, the Hospitality Now podcast, a newsletter subscription, and a publishing platform offering recipes, restaurant guides, and food/drink culture content.

Product overview

Food + Drink Victoria operates the Melbourne Food & Wine brand as a not-for-profit organisation encompassing public events, industry events and awards, consulting services, and a year-round publishing platform. The core product is the annual Melbourne Food & Wine Festival (running since 1993), which has grown from 12 events to over 400 events across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Supporting products include the Drink Victorian campaign (industry initiative promoting Victorian beverages), the annual Legends and Trailblazer Awards, the Hospitality Now industry podcast, and the Greatest of the Mall activation series. The publishing platform includes recipes, restaurant guides, and a newsletter subscription service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Drink Victorian: A campaign initiative designed to get more Victorian drinks on Victorian lists, delivered in collaboration with the Drinks Alliance.
• MFWF Legends and Trailblazers Awards
• Hospitality Now

Products and services

• Melbourne Food & Wine Festival The signature annual festival of Food + Drink Victoria, featuring 400+ events including signature experiences such as World's Longest Lunch, World's Longest Brunch, Global Dining Series collaborations, and special events across Melbourne and regional Victoria. Aimed at food and wine enthusiasts, tourists, and hospitality professionals.
• Drink Victorian Campaign

Quantifiable outcome

• 75,000 attendees in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Visit VictoriaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestination partner for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Government tourism body promoting Victoria as a travel destination.
• Singapore AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirline Partner enabling international chef talent and Global Dining Series collaborations. Supports bringing world-class chefs to Melbourne.
• HYDE Melbourne PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccommodation partner offering 10% off standard room rates for festival guests during March with booking code MFWF26.
• OpenTablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner and sponsor of Legends and Trailblazer Awards 2025. Restaurant reservation platform supporting hospitality industry.
• BroadsheetcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Media Partner providing editorial coverage and media support for festival events.
• PolestarminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive partner supporting festival logistics and transportation.
• Cider AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign to promote Victorian drinks on Victorian lists.
• Independent Brewers AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign. Represents independent brewing sector.
• Spirits VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign. Represents Victorian spirits industry.
• Wine VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign. Represents Victorian wine producers.
• Vicinity CentrescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Greatest of the Mall project celebrating Melbourne mall culture and food-court favourites across Vicinity properties.
• City of MelbourneflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner supporting festival activities, particularly Fed Square events including Baker's Dozen and Carnival.
• My Way Travel & EventsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTravel partner offering exclusive festival package experiences and VIP access to sold-out events.
• Helloworld TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTravel partner offering exclusive festival package experiences.
• The Big GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal hospitality agency founded by board member Bruce Keebaugh. Provides major events expertise for Australian events including Spring Racing Carnival, Grand Prix, and AFL Grand Final.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Taste of London: London's leading restaurant festival under the Taste Festivals brand, showcasing top restaurants, chefs, and drink producers in a ticketed multi-day format. Comparable to MFWF in consumer-facing ticketing approach and curated dining experiences.
• Food & Wine Classic in Aspen: Long-running (over 40 years) US food and wine festival regarded as a benchmark in the category. Comparable to MFWF in format (multi-day, multi-venue, chef-driven tastings and demos) and as a globally recognized culinary brand with sponsorship from premium partners.
• New York City Wine & Food Festival: Major US culinary festival featuring celebrity chefs, signature events, and consumer ticketing on a comparable scale to MFWF. Similar model of multi-venue events, international chef residencies, and charity-linked festival programming.
• Edinburgh Food Festival: Free-entry urban food festival featuring producer markets, chef demos, and ticketed special events. Comparable to MFWF in mix of free public activations and ticketed premium programming across a city footprint.
• Sydney Good Food Month (presented by NSW Government): Sydney's flagship food festival and MFWF's primary domestic counterpart. Operates a similar model of city-wide culinary events, signature dining experiences, and partnership-driven programming during an annual festival window.
• Taste Festivals (Taste of Sydney / Taste of Melbourne): Taste Festivals operates premium ticketed food and beverage showcase events in major cities including Sydney and Melbourne. Directly comparable to MFWF as a curated, ticketed culinary event series targeting food enthusiasts with celebrity chef involvement.

Others

• The Big Group: Major Australian hospitality and events agency led by MFWF board member Bruce Keebaugh. Comparable as a large-scale event-production partner with overlapping customers in major Australian culinary and lifestyle events (Grand Prix, AFL Grand Final).
• Visit Victoria: Victorian Government tourism agency and MFWF's Destination Partner. Comparable in role as a destination marketing organization driving tourism to Victoria, with overlapping audiences and economic-impact mission aligned with MFWF.
• OpenTable: Restaurant reservation platform and sponsor of MFWF's Legends and Trailblazer Awards. Comparable as a hospitality-industry data and marketing platform with overlapping restaurant-industry customers and Melbourne market presence.
• Broadsheet (Australia): Australian food and culture media publisher and MFWF's Official Media Partner. Comparable as a publishing platform covering Melbourne's hospitality scene, restaurant reviews, and culinary culture, with overlapping audience and content monetization models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Melbfoodandwine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@melbournefoodandwine
• Facebookfacebook.com/MelbourneFoodandWineFestival
• Instagraminstagram.com/melbfoodandwine
• TikToktiktok.com/@melbournefoodandwine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Melbourne Food and Wine Festival