By Casey Neill
VETERAN Dandenong food family the Castricums recently sold their Hammond Road site, but have no plans to leave the area.
Castricum Food Service managing director Gary Castricum said selling the 6.88 hectare Dandenong South facility had been in the works since the company closed its abattoir two years ago.
The high Australian dollar hampering export opportunities, years of drought forcing up stock prices, the need to upgrade the 25-year-old facility and family retirements brought about the decision.
“It was difficult times for a while there,” Mr Castricum said.
Castricums has been operating a retail outlet on the site since and will continue to do so through a lease arrangement with new owner AAD Recycling Services.
“And we’ll be there for some time yet,” Mr Castricum said.
The waste paper and plastics recycler will make use of the former food processing areas, cold storage and workshops to expand operations already underway at its Cahill Street site in Dandenong South.
“I’m pleased to see someone in there and making good use of the site,” Mr Castricum said.
He said the deal should result in more employment opportunities in the area, and AAD had innovative plans to process plastics into diesel.
The sale’s been dubbed one of the biggest industrial deals in the south east market this year, and is rumoured to be worth about $9 million.
Mr Castricum said the company’s presence on the site would allow it to continue to supply hotels and restaurants and operate a shop.
“We’re not staying on the site forever,” he said.
Expanding its range of fresh meat products with another site in the next five years is on the cards.
“I’d certainly want that to be in the Dandenong area,” Mr Castricum said.
