General News
2 July, 2025
Stawell Butter Farctory and Ice Company
THE Stawell News reported on February 3rd 1894 that a public meeting was held to listen to an address by the Government Dairy Expert on the possible establishment of a centralised butter factory and creamery in Stawell.
By Greg Robson, Stawell Historical Society.
The attendance was large and included farmers from all parts of the district.
On February 8th the paper reported that a meeting was held of gentlemen interested in the establishment of the butter factory.
The meeting voted for Mr George Mitchell to the chair and it was proposed that a public Company be formed called the Stawell District Dairying Company Limited.
On May 21st the Stawell Butter Factory was first registered. In July 1894 it was reported in the Pleasant Creek News that construction of the butter factory was underway.
The contractor had erected the framework with the floors being constructed four feet above the ground to keep them cool and dry.
The floor, ceilings and walls of the butter cooling rooms, churning rooms, and cool storage chambers were made double and were packed inside with charcoal.
By August 1894 the Stawell News had reported on the acceptance for the creameries at Lubeck, Callawadda, Banyena and Navarre to supply the cream for the making of the butter.
Later on, supplies also come from as far away as Hopetoun and Donald.
The Stawell District Dairying Company officially opened the butter factory for business on September 26th 1894.
The factory was modern and well equipped, but an intended railway line between Stawell and St. Arnaud, to bring in extra supplies of cream, never materialized due to the depression of the 1880’s.
The Butter Factory however, managed to maintain enough supplies to trade well for many years and in fact secured access to the very profitable London market as well as selling its products in Melbourne.
By 1896 the factory’s produce was held in good standing in London.
In 1898 the registration of the business was changed to a private butter factory operated by the Mitchell Family trading under the name of the Stawell Butter Factory and Ice Company.
The Mitchell Family continued its association with the butter factory and it was listed as owned by G. Mitchell and Sons in 1934.
In later years, the company was owned by Mr. Cec. Mitchell, who was the Grandson of the original founder of the Company.
George Mitchell who also operated the Victorian House Drapery Store, was also the Mayor of Stawell during 1900-2, 1907-08 and 1918-19 and served as a Borough Councillor for 39 years.
He was a staunch Presbyterian and was a member of the church committee of St Andrews for 50 years. Amongst his other business interests was the Stawell Woollen Mills.
Stawell had the last operating butter factory in the Wimmera.
In previous years, butter was also manufactured at Rainbow, Horsham and Ararat but these factories also closed down some years prior.
In 1972 the factory was producing, on average, three hundred tons of butter a year.
The business produced its last pound of butter in January 1974, and all the plant and equipment were sold at auction after trading on the same site in Curtis Street for 80 years.