Taxpayers to tip in $45m to take Tim Tams global

Monday, 8 December 2025 13:58

It is a move that will benefit consumers and manufacturers, experts claim.

A government fund will invest $45 million to help export the famous Tim Tam biscuit around the world.

The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation (NRFC) will use the taxpayer funds as part of a $1.75 billion debt refinance by The Arnott's Group, the manufacturer of the beloved snack.

It is designed to boost the company's manufacturing capability in Australia and to make inroads into foreign markets.

It is already a popular product in the UK, where it has been stocked in all major supermarkets since April last year.

It has also exceeded expectations, selling five million packets in that time.

"So many of us have taken a pack of Tim Tam biscuits with us when we set out on travels across the globe," NRFC CEO David Gall said.

"Taking such an iconic brand to international markets is something that is good for Australia."

Arnott's hasn't been Australian owned in over 25 years.

The fund has $15 billion of taxpayer money to invest in the country's manufacturing sector, with the money ploughed into Arnott's being the third such investment by the NRFC.

It also recently invested $36 million into Patties Food Group, the biggest meat pie maker in Australia.

Despite Arnott's and Tim Tams being an Australian icon and having 2500 employees in the country, it is not Australian-owned.

It is owned by an American private equity firm called KKR, which purchased it from another foreign company, Campbell's Soup, in 2019.

Arnott's has not been in Australian hands since 1997.

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