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Costa has been subjected to a malicious and sophisticated IT phishing attack.

The attack occurred on 21^st August 2022 and an intensive recovery and detailed review in conjunction with external IT security consultants of the incident commenced from this date.

As a result of this we have now established that access to data was confined to a single server at the Costa Corindi (NSW) site, which holds data for the berry category, and that only approximately 10% of the data on the Corindi file server was accessed.

These protective actions slowed operations, requiring the use of manual workarounds at certain sites and delayed some deliveries.  The impacts have largely subsided as we have restored the majority of our network and systems and there was no loss of data, and no material impact to operations, or earnings.

Although only approximately 10% of the data on the file server was accessed it is not clear what specific data was accessed due to the hacker encrypting their downloads.

Much of the information that was stored on the server is not personal information, however there is a risk that personal sensitive information of workers on Costa’s Australian berry farms may have been accessed.  To date, there is no evidence that any personal information has been leaked or uploaded to any sites.

This includes employees directly hired by Costa’s berry category since 2013 or provided by labour hire organisations since 2019.

This sensitive information may include the following:

• Passport details
• Birth Certificate
• Travel documents
• Australian Citizenship Certificate
• Bank details
• Superannuation details
• Tax File Numbers (TFN)

This information was collected in the first instance to satisfy certain laws relating to the employment of citizens and non-citizens and has been retained as per relevant record retention requirements.

Costa has notified the relevant authorities of this attack, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Costa has taken steps to protect against any further malicious attack, including limiting traffic to servers, increasing the level of end point protection and scheduling additional employee training relating to phishing and social engineering practices.

To minimise impact to individuals from the attack, we have been and continue to conduct continuous monitoring of the dark web to detect if any information from the server has been posted.

We can confirm to date, that we have not identified the publication of any such information.

We recommend that people who may be affected take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of their data being used unlawfully.

Examples of such measures include:

• Notifying your bank about the incident to ensure that extra checks are done by your bank.
• Notifying your bank/financial institution of any suspect transactions.
• Notifying your telecom provider to ensure they make you aware of any requests to redirect your phone calls/messages to reduce unauthorised attempts to bypass multi-factor authentication.
• Obtaining periodic credit checks to monitor for suspicious activity. Further information on credit checks can be obtained at https://www.idcare.org/fact-sheets/credit-reports-australia.
• Changing your email passwords.
• Enable Multi Factor Authentication on any sensitive accounts you may have such as banking and financial institutions.
• Changing any PIN/password for accounts that includes part or all of the data that may have been accessed (eg. Birth date in password, street address in password etc.).
• Notifying the Australian Federal Police if you suspect you have been subject to identity theft.
• Contact the Australian Taxation Office Client Identity Support Centre if you suspect the misuse of a TFN.

Costa Group Interim CEO Harry Debney noted –

 “This is a malicious attack, which was sophisticated in its execution.  Our first concern is for the impact this may have on our current and former employees.  With this firmly in mind, we continue to do everything we can to minimise any adverse consequences and to strengthen our cyber security protections.  I can also confirm that no core business applications were accessed, nor was any customer or supplier data comprised by the attack.”

Costa understands that what has occurred may cause concern and uncertainty, which is why we have set up a dedicated number to contact for any potentially impacted workers who may have questions or concerns about this incident.

The number is 1300 282 470 and will operate for the next month from the date of this statement.  It is available to contact Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9am to 5pm (AEDT).  If dialling this number, please select option 1.

Queries can also be emailed to cybersecurity@costagroup.com.au

We sincerely apologise to any one affected and are committed to minimising the impacts of this event and ensuring that similar events do not occur in the future.

General enquiries about this statement contact Michael Toby: +613 8363 9071

A project to commemorate Frank Costa AO and contribute to biodiversity across Costa farms has started, with trees planted at our farms in the Sunraysia region.

The project grew out of Costa’s inaugural Sustainability Prize and the Well Grown Seed Fund, which encourages people across the business to submit their ideas for sustainability projects.

Chris Potgieter, Agricultural Technician in Mildura, proposed an idea that each site or office in Australia should plant one to three trees each year in honour of Frank Costa AO. The idea was that trees could be planted each year to recognise everything Frank has done for the fresh produce industry and all Costa employees. It was also a way to increase biodiversity across the Costa sites and create awareness of the importance of trees.

This week, three trees were planted at the Colignan Farm and three at the Trentham Farm, with a plaque commemorating Frank Costa with the words ‘Planted in memory of Frank Costa AO, a champion of the people. Greatly admired and respected within Costa Group and the fresh produce industry’. The trees are Lophostemon Confertus – an evergreen, a conscious selection in honour of keeping the memory of Frank Costa AO alive year round.  

Tree planting programs are now planned for other Costa sites, including Nangiloc and the tomato glasshouses in Guyra.

Frank Costa passed away on May 2, 2021. He is remembered as a champion of the people, living by the mantra of ‘hire for character, train for skill’.

Costa Group, Australia’s leading grower, marketing and producer of fresh fruit and vegetables, has issued an urgent plea for the Albanese Government to prioritise export market access for horticultural products into key markets.

Sean Hallahan, Costa CEO and Managing Director, said lack of access to key markets, especially Japan for Australia’s avocados was affecting the entire industry.

“It is vitally important for the new Albanese government to prioritise export market access for horticultural products into key markets, most prominently Japan,” Mr Hallahan said.

Japan imports huge volumes of avocados principally from South America, and small volumes from Western Australia. The majority of Australian avocados are however grown in Queensland, which is prevented from exporting to Japan due to Queensland Fruit Fly.

“A whole of government approach is urgently needed to gain access to Japan for eastern seaboard (QLD/NSW) grown avocados. If this can occur, then together with the access Western Australia currently has to Japan, it will provide Australian avocado growers an opportunity to supply the Japanese market on an almost year-round basis, something that no other country can do,” he said.

“Disappointingly, this is an opportunity that through lack of urgent action from government continues to go begging. I encourage both the Federal Agriculture and Trade Ministers to work together to address this issue as a matter of absolute urgency for the greater good of the avocado industry, and the economic sustainability of regional and rural communities where avocados are grown.”

Mr Hallahan said other countries, including Peru, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Canada, Mexico and the United States had successfully gained access to China and other south east Asian countries for their fresh produce.

“The common denominator at play here appears to be that these countries take a whole of government approach to trade access negotiations.”

From its roots in the Riverland region of Australia, the Vitor brand is known around the globe for its quality premium fresh produce.

Vitor originated 50 years ago as a marketing company for growers in the Renmark region, in South Australia.

Today, Vitor is one of Costa Group’s premium brands, with exports of citrus and grapes to key markets including the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Costa is Australia’s leading citrus grower and marketer with farms in the Riverland in South Australia, Sunraysia in Victoria, and in Emerald and Dimbulah in Queensland.

Elliot Jones, General Manager of Costa’s Trees and Vines category (incorporating citrus, grapes, avocados and bananas) said Vitor’s success over 50 years was a testament to the passion and experience of the people involved in growing, packing and marketing the fruit.

“From the very beginning, the number one priority has always been to provide the highest quality produce,” Elliot said.

“Over the years we have established long-term relationships with all our stakeholders including importers, distributors, and retailers. We have maintained a strong focus on the end consumers’ needs and requirements, particularly regarding quality.”

The brand began as the Vitor Citrus Co-operative (Renmark) Ltd, which was incorporated in 1972 with eight members. Its major shareholder in the early days was Yandilla Park Ltd, a company founded by Andrew Weigall.

The citrus operations at the heart of Vitor were established in the early 1970s and the first packing shed for Yandilla Park was built in 1972 on the outskirts of the town of Renmark. Andrew, who led the development of Yandilla Park Ltd, was driven by his passion for producing premium fruit and was known for pioneering new techniques and innovative horticultural practices.

By 2002, Yandilla Park properties covered 765 hectares of planted citrus, 150 hectares of wine grapes and 51 hectares of avocados. A major upgrade to the packing shed was also opened.

Coming under Costa ownership in 2006, the Riverland operations now include six farms and three packing sheds, growing oranges, mandarins as well as grapefruit, lemons, limes and avocados.

Today, Costa’s produce represents 55% of Australia’s citrus exports. Under the Vitor brand, Costa also produces table grapes which are exported to a range of Asian countries including Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea.

Throughout Vitor’s 50-year history, innovation and a commitment to quality have remained cornerstones of the brand.

“Our competitive advantages in scale of supply, packing operation, genetics, global network of customers and markets with leading B2B brands have helped us to achieve exceptional export results, particularly in the Asian markets,” Elliot said.

“We are continually looking at new varieties, to ensure we meet the need for current and future demand, and we are continuing to invest to drive higher levels of agronomic performance and optimisation in yield and quality.

“As we celebrate the past 50 years, we are also looking to the future and cementing our position as the leading individual citrus grower, packer and exporter in Australia.”

In a world first, Costa is working with Israeli company Arugga AI Farming to deploy robotic pollination for truss tomato plants at its tomato glasshouse operation in Guyra, NSW.

Pollination in glasshouses around the world is generally done using bumblebees, however their use is banned in Australia. That means the pollination process is done by hand.

In this commercial deployment, robotic pollinators drive along the rows, find flowers that are ready for pollination using artificial intelligence and send air pulses to vibrate the flowers in a specific manner which imitates buzz pollination as performed by bumblebees.

Take a look at the robots in action in the video below.

As Australia’s leading producer of fresh fruit and vegetables and with international operations in China and Morocco, ensuring human rights are not only protected but also taking action to prevent modern slavery is fundamental to our business.

Our second Modern Slavery Statement, covering the financial year ending on 26 December 2021, outlines both the activity and progress we have made to mitigate, address and where possible improve our approach to human rights and modern slavery risks within our operation and across our supply chain.

While the global pandemic continued to disrupt and present new challenges in 2021, we remained committed to developing and enhancing the processes, policies, and actions we have in place to protect human rights. In our Australian partner grower base, for example, 98% were registered on Sedex in 2021 during their supply season.

Our key actions this year have included increased emphasis on identification of high-risk suppliers and remediation where issues arise, both within our own operations and in our supply chain.

We are focused on developing systems to measure our effectiveness and have dedicated new resources, such as a Group People Assurance Manager, to assist in this process. We have also put in place a multi-disciplinary working group to oversee our Modern Slavery response, which has made steady progress in education and training across the business.

We look forward to building on the actions outlined in this statement.

Costa Berries Tasmania in partnership with Driscoll’s Australia is undertaking a commercial trial of a new super sweet strawberry variety, Driscoll’s Zara.

Costa Berries Tasmania Regional Manager Cameron Folder said: “The Zara variety of strawberry has been in production at our East Devonport strawberry farm as an on-farm commercial trial since the start of our berry season.”

Marketed as “Driscoll’s Sweetest Batch”, the strawberry is a premium variety that delivers a sweeter and stronger flavour.

It was first commercialised in the United Kingdom in 2017 and has won several international awards due to its taste and quality.

Internationally, Driscoll’s Zara is sold as a premium variety in Europe, the Middle East, Canada and China.

Zara consistently scores better in quality tests for its appearance, taste, and texture.

Costa currently has close to one hectare of land under production of the Driscoll’s Zara variety with discussions under way to expand production on Costa’s strawberry farms and other Driscoll’s growers’ farms in North and North West Tasmania.

As a commercial trial, limited quantities of “Sweetest Batch” strawberries can be purchased from Woolworths supermarkets in larger urban centres in Hobart and Launceston. They are also sold interstate through a small number of Coles and Woolworths stores in Victoria.

The trial also extends to a select number of Sydney market agents for the independent sector.

“Production of the Zara strawberry represents an exciting opportunity for Tasmania’s berry industry,” Mr Folder said.

As a premium variety, there is potential to add value to the state’s berry crop and continue the industry’s growth as a significant contributor to Tasmania’s export income.

A report produced by Deloitte Access Economics, ‘The economic contribution of the Tasmanian fresh produce sector’ in December 2020, estimated the Tasmanian berry industry as worth around $200 million per annum; greater than the apple and cherry industry combined.

Costa is the largest producer of berries in Tasmania. At peak harvest this season, Costa employed over 560 locals injecting more than $1 million in wages on a weekly basis into the local economy.

The business also invests over $44 million in local goods and services each year, indirectly supporting hundreds of other local jobs.

Costa has been made aware of fraudulent scam letters being sent to people which purport to offer the person in receipt of the letter an unsolicited job with Costa. The letters may also seek a payment from the recipient in exchange for the person being offered the job.

Please be aware that Costa does not make unsolicited job offers and nor do we seek payment from anyone we offer employment to.

If you receive such a letter, please ignore it as it is a fraud and a scam.

With a large contingent of Tongan employees, Costa has rallied to provide funds and goods to support the relief effort in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit the island nation in January.

The Costa business committed $25,000 to the relief effort and, in collaboration with Coles, has coordinated a shipping container filled with food, water, household and personal care supplies.

During a recent Costa Care Forum, two of our Tongan employees, Albert Chan and Tamefuna Vi, provided a first-hand account of the impact on our Tongan workforce and their families and the type of assistance most needed in their home country.  This inspired many of our team to take action, resulting in the shipment.

The container will begin its 30-day voyage to Tonga on Saturday. On arrival the goods will be distributed to Costa employees’ families across Tonga.

“We have more than 300 Tongan employees, many of whom have been with Costa for more than two years and who are all well and truly part of our Costa family,” Costa CEO and Managing Director Sean Hallahan said.

“Through our Costa Care Forum, we liaised closely with our employees on how we could best support their families.  We are also very appreciative of the support from Coles in getting this shipment together.”

In addition, Costa staff raised $4270 to go towards the relief effort. The majority of this funding has gone to the Red Cross Tonga Earthquake Eruption and Tsunami Response.

In response, the Red Cross thanked Costa staff for their support.

“The funds you raised have enabled Australian Red Cross to send water containers, mosquito nets, solar lanterns, tarps and shelter kits to bolster relief supplies already in the country.

“We are also providing our local partner Tonga Red Cross with technical support as well as support for their operating costs.

“With your support, we have raised the funds needed to support Tonga Red Cross to continue meeting the immediate needs of communities affected by the disaster. Thank you for the life-changing difference you have made,” Ashlea Watkins, Community Fundraising Manager, Australian Red Cross.

Costa’s $80 million expansion of its tomato glasshouse operation at Guyra was formally opened today (December 3) by The Honourable Adam Marshall, Member for Northern Tablelands and Minister for Agriculture and Western New South Wales.

The expansion includes two new five-hectare glasshouses and a 2.5-hectare propagation nursery at the New England Highway site, just north of the town of Guyra. It brings the total Costa glasshouse footprint to more than 40 hectares in the Guyra region.

The first of the new glasshouses is now in full production, and the second will come online in the new year.  It will bring the total production across the 40 hectares to more than 18 million kilos of tomatoes per annum.

Costa employs more than 650 workers across the two glasshouse sites, spending approximately $31 million annually on wages and salaries. Once both new glasshouses are fully operational an additional 160 jobs will be created.

Jose Cambon, Costa’s Vertical Farming General Manager, said the New England Highway site was fully water self-sufficient. It includes an innovative microturbine power generation system, one of the first of its kind in the world to be used in a glasshouse environment, which will result in significantly reduced C0₂ emissions.

“Our people have showed outstanding character and skill in planning, designing and building this facility, which also includes a state-of-the-art nursery to develop and propagate new varieties and will create 160 new jobs for the local region,” Mr Cambon said.

“At times it was not an easy process, with the project having been paused due to the drought and then once recommenced having to navigate through the significant challenges of COIVD.  To this end, everyone can feel rightly proud of the role they’ve played in the completion of the project and the operation of the site.

“I also want to recognise the contribution of the many local businesses who worked on the construction of the glasshouse. Their involvement was crucial to the project’s successful completion.”

Mr Cambon said Costa was proud of its connection with the Guyra and surrounding community and the opportunities this project provided, ensuring people could pursue jobs and careers while remaining in the local area.