The door that’s always open

Chapter Three

The ’60s and ’70s saw an increase in the supply of chicken to butchers, clubs and restaurants. Working for Charlie was a 24-hour job and the telephone would ring long after the factory had closed its doors for the day. Improvements in processing and refrigeration, and the development of supermarket chains contributed to the demand.

Frank becomes family

Frank Camilleri’s addition to the Baiada family and business was a pivotal one after marrying Charlie and Giovanna’s daughter, Mary. Charlie trusted Frank to manage sales and distribution, while he turned his focus purely to operations and farms. It is said that today, without computers, you’d need 20 people to match Frank’s efforts.

A company is born

The next major step in the Baiada business was the change from a sole trader to a company known as Baiada Pty Limited. Charlie became the chairman of the board of directors, while Frank was made company secretary.

Opening Tamworth

A property was purchased at Out Street West Tamworth. George Camilleri, Frank’s younger brother, took on the role as manager and was integral to the development of the business. Clad in pristine white overalls every day without fail, his commitment and involvement was such that many Tamworth locals believed he was Mr Baiada.

The step towards vertical integration

In order to deliver a consistent product and to meet the needs of customers, Charlie didn’t want to have to rely on external suppliers. For the Baiada business, a stockfeed company was a missing link. In a step towards vertical integration, Tangaratta Stockfeeds was established in Tamworth and 100 acres of land was set aside for feedmills and silos.

Baiada was processing 8,000 birds a day by 1974.

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