CBH Group

Australia’s largest co-operative and a major national asset

Interview by Mutuo and BCCM
Photography by CBH Group

CBH fast facts (July 2020)

  • Established: 1933 in Western Australia
  • Turnover: $4.2 billion
  • Member businesses: 3,900

Co-operative Bulk Handling (CBH Group) was formed in 1933 and is Australia’s largest co-operative and the nation’s largest grain exporter. It is also a leader in the Australian grain industry, with operations now extending across on farm inputs, grain storage, handling, transport, marketing and processing.

CBH Group has total assets of more than $2 billion[1], employing around 1,100 permanent employees and up to 1,800 casual employees during the harvest period.

The WA grain industry is the largest agricultural sector in the state and the fourth largest export industry overall. CBH’s grower members produce an average of 14.4 million tonnes of grain annually, about 40-50 per cent of the entire Australian grain production depending on the season, and contributing almost $4 billion to the state’s economy each year.

Visit cbh.com.au

Co-operative Conversations

Watch Jimmy Wilson, CBH Group CEO,  who was a member of the expert discussion panel on Co-operative Conversations Episode 1. Hosted by renowned agricultural journalist Pete Lewis, the candid conversation begins with co-op leaders, agricultural experts and primary producers from Australia and overseas debating and discussing the future of farming and if the co-operative model could be an option to future proof our home-grown agribusinesses.

Watch this in-depth interview with Natalie Browning,  CBH Group Deputy Chair, discussing how farmers can take some of the risk out of agricultural production by co-operating in business together, on Co-operative Conversations Episode 5.

 

[1] Unless otherwise specified, all figures throughout are in $AU

Keep reading more stories

Farming, Community

How a new co-op is helping secure Australia's food chain

Read the inspiring story of The Lockyer Fruit and Veggie Cooperative Ltd, a new co-op in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley.
Farming, Community

The secret behind The Casino Food Co-op's success: The power of community

Discover why The Casino Food Co-op is such an asset to its community, and what the future holds for this forward-thinking co-operative.
Farming, Community

EPCBH: The co-op that's creating new opportunities for Eyre Peninsula grain growers

Through the formation of Eyre Peninsula Co-operative Bulk Handling, the relationship between local grain growers and mining company Iron Road is characterised by co-operation, open communication and creating mutually beneficial outcomes.
SEE ALL CO-OP FARM STORIES