Maggie Beer products, from farm shop started in South Australia's Barossa Valley in 1979, join her national profile

Maggie Beer with the icecreams among products developed at her Farm Shop in South Australia's Barossa Valley, and marketed nationally by Maggie Beer Holdings. 
Image courtesy Maggie Beer

Maggie Beer Holdings became the 100% owners in 2019 of the premium food business sold in the first stage for $25 million by South Australia’s Barossa Valley celebrity chef and author Maggie Beer in 2016.

In 2020, the business’s new owners Longtable Group (formerly Primary Opinion and originally Jumbuck Entertainment) changed their name to Maggie Beer Holdings to better harness the status and television profile of the much-honoured Beer.

Maggie Beer Holdings (also including Hampers & Gifts Australia and South Australian-based B.-d. Farm Paris Creek biodynamic dairy) continue to have its food products manufacturing based in the Barossa Valley where Maggie Beer, after moving from Sydney with husband Colin, started a farm that morphed into the Farm Shop in 1979 that led to the Barossa Pheasant Farm Restaurant later that year.

The restaurant became known for serving locally sourced pheasant as Pheasant Farm Pâté. In 1991, the restaurant, operated by the Beers until 1993, was awarded the Remy Martin Cognac/Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year award. Maggie Beer, named the Telstra South Australia Business Woman of the Year in 1997, became a partner in the Charlick's Feed Store restaurant in Ebenezer Place, Adelaide city.

Maggie Beer Farm Shop continued in the Barossa Valley, producing gourmet foods, including Pheasant Farm Pâté, quince paste, verjuice and gourmet icecreams. Beer’s television prominence started on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) cooking programme The Cook and the Chef with Simon Bryant, head chef with Adelaide Hilton. She also appeared several times as a guest judge and guest masterclass presenter on MasterChef Australia.

Beer was named Senior Australian of the Year 2010 and 2011, appointed  a member of the Order of Australia in 2012 and awarded honorary doctorates of Macquarie University in 2013  the University of South Australia in 2016 for her achievements in tourism, hospitality and promoting Australian cuisine. She set up the Maggie Beer Foundation in 2014 to improve the food experiences for older Australians, particularly those living within aged care homes.

Beer joined the board of Maggie Beer Holdings as part of the sale of Maggie Beer Products to the group and was pivotal in the growth and strategy of the Maggie Beer Products business as well as being deeply involved in developing products.