Australia’s Grape House Group Goes into Liquidation Owing $43.6 Million

Australian table grape producer The Grape House Group has entered liquidation with debts totaling $43.6 million. Regulatory notices published by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission confirmed the filing.

The collapse ends more than seven decades of operation for the Euston-based grower. It had exported fresh fruit across international markets since its founding in 1952.

Creditors Face Unsecured Debts

Company members met on October 2 to vote in favor of winding up the enterprise and its related entities. The liquidation filing covers Grape House and several trading vehicles tied to the Costa family, who controlled the farm across two generations.

Operations centered on table grape production in regional New South Wales, directing volume into export channels across Asia and other overseas markets. Liquidators must now assess plant, vineyard property, and outstanding accounts to service the $43.6 million shortfall.

Post-Penalty Capital Strain

This wind-up follows regulatory enforcement against the business. In 2025, the New South Wales District Court imposed a $1 million fine on the company after formal legal action.

That financial penalty added immediate cash pressure to an operation already carrying heavy borrowing. Packaging, cold storage, and freight charges require constant working capital in export networks. The court sanctions left little margin for operational recovery.

Export Supply Chain Exposure

For wholesale fruit importers and retail buyers across the Asia-Pacific region, the closure removes an established supplier ahead of the southern hemisphere harvest cycle. Competing growers in the Sunraysia and Murray Valley corridors will absorb open export allocations. Still, logistics providers and local suppliers face direct exposure to the outstanding debt pool.

Agricultural supply chains across eastern Australia continue to face tighter bank covenants and rising input costs. These pressures are accelerating insolvencies among mid-tier family operations that expanded through debt.

Asset Realization Process

Liquidators will now formally convene the first statutory meetings of creditors. They will present a verified schedule of assets, secured lender positions, and employee entitlements.