Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
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.
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Melbourne
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- 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
- 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.
- Publishing and Content: Year-round publishing platform offering food and drink content, recipes, restaurant guides, and industry news
- Industry Services: Consulting services and industry programs including Drink Victorian campaign, Legends and Trailblazer Awards, MFWF Legends Awards, and industry forums
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Event-based pricing varying by event type |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Melbourne Food and Wine Festival
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Visit VictoriaflagshipDestination partner for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. Government tourism body promoting Victoria as a travel destination.
- Singapore AirlinescoreAirline Partner enabling international chef talent and Global Dining Series collaborations. Supports bringing world-class chefs to Melbourne.
- HYDE Melbourne PlacecoreAccommodation partner offering 10% off standard room rates for festival guests during March with booking code MFWF26.
- OpenTablecoreIndustry partner and sponsor of Legends and Trailblazer Awards 2025. Restaurant reservation platform supporting hospitality industry.
- BroadsheetcoreOfficial Media Partner providing editorial coverage and media support for festival events.
- PolestarminorAutomotive partner supporting festival logistics and transportation.
- Cider AustraliacorePart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign to promote Victorian drinks on Victorian lists.
- Independent Brewers AssociationcorePart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign. Represents independent brewing sector.
- Spirits VictoriacorePart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign. Represents Victorian spirits industry.
- Wine VictoriacorePart of Drinks Alliance collaboration delivering Drink Victorian campaign. Represents Victorian wine producers.
- Vicinity CentrescorePartner in Greatest of the Mall project celebrating Melbourne mall culture and food-court favourites across Vicinity properties.
- City of MelbourneflagshipGovernment partner supporting festival activities, particularly Fed Square events including Baker's Dozen and Carnival.
- My Way Travel & EventsminorTravel partner offering exclusive festival package experiences and VIP access to sold-out events.
- Helloworld TravelminorTravel partner offering exclusive festival package experiences.
- The Big GroupcoreGlobal 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
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival social profiles
Digital presenceMelbourne Food and Wine Festival financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&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
What does Melbourne Food and Wine Festival do?
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.
Is Melbourne Food and Wine Festival a public or private company?
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Melbourne Food and Wine Festival founded?
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Melbourne Food and Wine Festival based?
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does Melbourne Food and Wine Festival make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Festival Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are partnership and Sponsorship, publishing and Content and industry Services.
Who are Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Taste of London, Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, New York City Wine & Food Festival, Edinburgh Food Festival, Sydney Good Food Month (presented by NSW Government) and Taste Festivals (Taste of Sydney / Taste of Melbourne). Others are The Big Group, Visit Victoria, OpenTable and Broadsheet (Australia).
Does Melbourne Food and Wine Festival have an API?
No public API is recorded for Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
What industry is Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in?
Melbourne Food and Wine Festival's product category is Food and Beverage Events. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAFAE, Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos, with a secondary code of THAJAGAL, Food Festivals & Culinary Events (Ticketed Tastings, Pop-ups). Its NAICS code is 722 and its SIC code is 7900.