Nutifood has officially signed a strategic partnership with ViPlus Dairy – an over 130-year-old dairy manufacturer from Gippsland, Australia – to establish an international joint venture namely ViPlus Nutritional Australia. This milestone marks a major step in Nutifood’s globalization journey, making it the first Vietnamese enterprise to directly co-found an Australian-standard premium dairy brand, GippsNature.
Owned jointly by Nutifood and ViPlus Dairy, GippsNature is set to launch as an international premium nutritional brand embodying Australia’s “nature-first” philosophy. Combining the fertile and pristine natural resources of Gippsland with scientifically validated nutrition, designed to nurture natural growth across all life stages.
The signing ceremony has taken place at the Victoria Global Investment Centre in Melbourne, Australia, witnessed by government representatives from both countries. On the Australian side, Mr. Kevin Norman – Senior Global Engagement Manager, Australian Trade and Investment Commission; Mr. Huda Albanna – Strategic Advisor to the Commissioner, Victorian Government Trade and Investment Southeast Asia; Ms. Annie Jiang – Director of International Investment Asia & MENA at Invest Victoria attended. From Vietnam, Mr. Nghiem Xuan Hoa, Minister Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Viet Nam in Australia, also attended.
Mr. Kevin Norman – Senior Global Engagement Manager, Australian Trade and Investment Commission stated, “The strategic outcomes that we anticipate will flow from this newly formed Joint Venture between ViPlus Dairy and Nutifood Vietnam, will only strengthen the trade ties between our two nations, both in commerce and in friendship”.
Mr. Nghiem Xuan Hoa, Minister Counselor and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Viet Nam in Australia also praised the collaboration at the event: “As a strategic collaboration between two leading enterprises, the joint venture will bring practical benefits to consumers in both countries and contribute to strengthening the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Australia.”
Going Global with Vietnamese Excellence
The partnership coincides with Nutifood’s 25th anniversary. In 2025, driven by a global vision, Nutifood officially enters its globalization phase by co-creating a premium dairy brand in Australia. The milestone underscores Nutifood’s innovation capacity and integration prowess, with its commitment to putting Vietnamese identity on the global dairy map.
Mr. Tran Bao Minh, Vice President of Nutifood, stated: “The upcoming GippsNature brand is the result of a long-term strategic partnership between ViPlus Dairy, with its proud 130-year-old legacy, and Nutifood, bringing creativity and deep market insight into Vietnam. Together, we co-develop every aspect from brand positioning, product innovation, market strategy, to full value chain operations.”
“We don’t just produce milk; we create high-quality nutritional solutions,” Mr. Minh emphasized, reinforcing the company’s founding spirit since its establishment in 2000.
Explaining the decision to partner with ViPlus Dairy, Nutifood highlighted that the 130-year-old company from Gippsland – known as Australia’s “dairy capital” – has earned the trust of consumers across multiple countries with its internationally certified powdered milk products and longstanding brand reputation.
Premium Australian-Standard Milk for Vietnam and Global Consumers
Country of Origin (COO) has a significant impact on Vietnamese consumers’ purchasing decisions regarding global brands, according to research published in InderScience Journal. Beyond nutritional value and safety standards, consumers often spend time seeking detailed information on imported products before making the decision.
GippsNature meets these expectations with products manufactured by a brand over 130 years old in Gippsland – ViPlus Dairy. Following the “nature-first” nutritional philosophy, dairy cows graze freely on lush pastures nurtured by year-round mild climate, high rainfall, and pure ocean air from the surrounding ocean.
Gippsland has long embraced organic farming practices for its pastures, avoiding the use of growth hormones or antibiotics on its purebred dairy cows. Strict animal welfare and environmental sustainability standards are upheld throughout the production process.
Mr. Jon McNaught, CEO of ViPlus Dairy, shared: “ViPlus Dairy and Nutifood come from two different cultural backgrounds, yet we share a common goal, to develop some of the most nutritional, high quality Milk Formula products for Vietnam and other global markets with our new brand identity GippsNature.
We firmly believe that Gippsland’s heritage for dairy excellence, and producing some of the highest quality milk in the world, will only have its reputation enhanced through our new strategic partner in Nutifood. Together, with Vietnam our key focus, we will develop a range of nutritional products that will provide Vietnam families with quality, wholefood nutrition underpinned by Australian reputation for quality and food safety”.
Within the scope of the event, Nutifood also organized a field trip to Gippsland, allowing participants to experience the natural dairy farming and visit research facilities at Monash University. The tour was joined by several well-known personalities, including businesswoman Hannah Olala, actress Đinh Ngọc Diệp, director Victor Vũ, and entrepreneur Lâm Thành Kim, all of whom are parents.
GippsNature’s initial product lineup will cater to a wide range of consumers across all life stages, from milk for children and adults to elderly, along with nutritional supplements. The brand is prioritized to be launched first in Vietnam in Q3/2025 before expanding globally.
