University Food Group

What University Food Group does

University Food Group (UFG) is a private, family-owned Australian food manufacturing and wholesale company headquartered in Carlton, Melbourne, operating since 1960 across three core divisions: University Meat (raw meat and smallgoods wholesale for food service operators), Country Cooked International (sous vide and oven-cooked protein manufacturing for food service, QSRs, retailers, and export markets), and Service Sphere (national supply, preventative service, and technical training for commercial and home coffee equipment). The company's proprietary sous vide slow-cooking process slow-cooks proteins for up to 18 hours, delivering minimal weight loss, superior yield, and chilled shelf life of up to 16 weeks, with HACCP, SQF, AQIS, and Halal certifications supporting export-grade compliance. UFG generates revenue through B2B wholesale to food service operators, hotels, restaurants, cafes, QSRs, and franchise groups, alongside direct-to-consumer retail sales via Costco (exclusive partner for Mae's Asian Kitchen and The Standard Meat Company), IGA, Foodworks, and Harris Farm (Epic Eats range). An in-house product development team comprising chefs, food technologists, and QA experts provides bespoke product development and co-manufacturing for branded client solutions. The company is currently investing in a new purpose-built manufacturing facility in Coburg North, Victoria, scheduled to open in 2024.

Name

University Food Group

Legal name

University Food Group

Website

https://universityfood.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

University Food Group is a private Australian food manufacturer and wholesaler operating three divisions (University Meat, Country Cooked International, Service Sphere) supplying sous vide proteins, raw meats, and coffee equipment to food service operators, QSRs, retailers, and export markets since 1960.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meat and Protein Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Animal Slaughtering and Processing (3116)

SIC

Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Prepared Meat Meals (RTE/RTH) (AFANAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cold Prepared Foods & Meal Components (Sides, Proteins, Family Meals) (CRAHAKAC), Ground & Formed Meat Products Manufacturing (Burgers, Sausages, Meatballs) (AFAKALAE)

Keywords

• Wholesale meat supply
• Sous vide proteins
• Food service distribution
• Commercial coffee equipment
• Meat manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Protein and Meat Product Sales: Sale of raw meats, sous vide cooked proteins, and branded consumer retail products including Epic Eats, The Standard Meat Company, Mae's Asian Kitchen, and Mae's Teriyaki Chicken through retail and food service channels.
2. Coffee Equipment and Service: Service Sphere generates revenue through sale and maintenance of commercial and home coffee equipment, spare parts, and technical training services. Authorised Australian importer for leading coffee brands including LaCimbali, Eversys, Eureka, Casadio, and Rheavendors.
3. Food Service and QSR Wholesale: Wholesale supply of proteins to hotels, restaurants, cafes, franchise groups, and QSRs. Includes bespoke/co-manufactured products tailored for specific client brands.
4. Export Products: Country Cooked International division exports premium Australian sous vide and oven-cooked proteins to international markets, with shelf life of up to 16 weeks chilled.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

University Food Group is an Australian food manufacturing and distribution company that produces and supplies raw meats, sous vide slow-cooked proteins, and plant-based foods through three divisions: University Meat (wholesale raw meats and smallgoods), Country Cooked International (cooked proteins for food service and QSRs), and Service Sphere (commercial coffee equipment supply and maintenance). It also markets consumer-facing sub-brands including Epic Eats, Mae's Asian Kitchen, and The Standard Meat Company through supermarket chains, alongside bespoke co-manufacturing for franchise and hospitality operators.

Product overview

University Food Group is a diversified Australian food manufacturing and distribution company operating three core business divisions. University Meat (founded 1960) supplies raw meats and smallgoods wholesale. Country Cooked International specialises in sous vide and oven-cooked proteins for food service, QSRs, and retail. Service Sphere supplies and services commercial coffee equipment. The group also markets consumer-facing sub-brands including Epic Eats (slow-cooked sous vide meats for home cooks available at IGA and Foodworks), Mae's Asian Kitchen (Asian sous vide meats in 1kg Costco packs), and The Standard Meat Company (American-style BBQ meats available at Costco). Products span raw meats, pre-prepared cooked proteins, and plant-based options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Epic Eats: Range of slow cooked, sous vide meats for the busy home chef inspired by cuisines from around the world. Available at selected supermarkets including IGA, Foodworks, and Harris Farm.
• The Standard Meat Company
• Mae's Asian Kitchen
• University Meat
• Country Cooked
• Service Sphere

Products and services

• University Meat Wholesale supplier of Australia's finest raw meat and smallgoods for centre-plate meal solutions, including beef, lamb, pork, poultry, duck, game, and smallgoods. Sold online and to food service operators, serving as the original founding division of University Food Group.
• Country Cooked International

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 16 weeks shelf life for chilled export products
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Roll'dcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 8 November 2022Country Cooked, a division of University Food Group, has been supplying Roll'd franchise network with a range of cooked proteins for over 7 years. Country Cooked won the 2022 Roll'd Supplier of the Year award in recognition of its high quality, flavoursome protein products and consistent reliability. Roll'd is a highly successful franchise network.
• Shared TablescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity Food Group has been a sponsor and participant in Shared Tables since its inception in 1994. Shared Tables is a food service organisation that brings people in the hospitality industry together by hosting networking events at restaurants across Melbourne, with a focus on culinary trends, innovation, and supporting Victorian cookery students. UFG Director Loui Marcocci presents at Shared Tables events and showcases new product ranges.
• LaCimbalicoreTechnology or IntegrationService Sphere is authorised to supply and maintain LaCimbali coffee equipment nationally in Australia. LaCimbali is one of the world's leading commercial espresso machine brands.
• CasadiocoreTechnology or IntegrationService Sphere is authorised to supply and maintain Casadio coffee equipment nationally in Australia.
• EurekacoreTechnology or IntegrationService Sphere is authorised to supply and maintain Eureka coffee equipment nationally in Australia.
• RheavendorscoreTechnology or IntegrationService Sphere is authorised to supply and maintain Rheavendors coffee equipment nationally in Australia.
• EversyscoreTechnology or IntegrationService Sphere is an authorised Australian importer and service provider for Eversys coffee equipment.
• BravilorcoreTechnology or IntegrationService Sphere is an authorised Australian importer and service provider for Bravilor coffee equipment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Teys Australia: One of Australia's largest beef processors and exporters, supplying raw and value-added meat products to domestic and international food service and retail. Directly comparable to University Meat and Country Cooked on the protein wholesale and value-added cooking side, but at significantly larger scale.
• Don Smallgoods: Established Australian smallgoods and cooked meat producer. Comparable on the prepared meat/smallgoods product category and supermarket retail distribution that overlaps with UFG's Epic Eats and Standard Meat Company ranges.
• Tibaldi Smallgoods: Heritage Australian smallgoods manufacturer producing cooked and cured meat products for retail and food service. Comparable on prepared/smallgoods category, supermarket distribution and family-business heritage similar to UFG.
• Greenham: Tasmanian/Australian beef processor supplying premium raw and cooked meat products to food service and retail. Comparable to UFG on premium red meat sourcing, processing and food service distribution in Australia and export.
• Sanremo Australia: Family-owned Australian food manufacturer with Italian heritage supplying meat-based prepared foods and smallgoods. Comparable to UFG on family-owned heritage, Italian-Australian food culture and prepared meat product range sold across supermarket and food service channels.
• Hazeldenes: Victorian-based integrated poultry processor with cooked and further-processed chicken products. Direct comparable to Country Cooked on sous vide and cooked protein capability, particularly for Victorian-based QSR and food service customers.
• Hans Continental Smallgoods: Australian manufacturer of continental-style smallgoods and prepared meats for retail and food service. Closely comparable to UFG's prepared meat and smallgoods category with similar supermarket and deli distribution.
• Maggie Beer Holdings: Australian premium prepared food producer (pâtés, ready meals, condiments) selling through IGA, Harris Farm and other specialty retail. Comparable on the premium prepared-meal retail channel and Epic Eats-style positioning targeting busy home chefs.
• Primo Foods Australia: Major Australian smallgoods and prepared meat manufacturer (hams, bacon, deli meats). Comparable to UFG's prepared/cooked protein and smallgoods offering, with overlapping food service and retail distribution channels across Australia.

Broad incumbents

• JBS Australia: Australian arm of global meat giant JBS, operating large-scale beef, lamb and pork processing with branded prepared meats. Overlaps with UFG across the protein value chain but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio; UFG competes for the same food service and retail protein accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/UniversityFoodGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universityfoodgroup?originalSubdomain=au
• Instagraminstagram.com/universityfoodgroup

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 University Food Group