Highlights & Improvements

• AAFCANS invested in the next generation of high-speed ovens for 38 canteens & kiosk outlets, these will be deployed to sites from May 2023.
• New cooking technology increases output, quality and is up to 80% faster in cook times. It’s compact footprint with cool-to-touch sides makes it a safer choice for the service team.

March 2022, AAFCANS opened their Online facility for their Family Store.
The new facility offers order online and click & collect with delivery available to select live on-base accommodation areas and ADF family homes in the base village.

The new service is focused on supporting members with a drop-off delivery facility covering live-on-base accommodation, health precinct, LIA accommodation areas and military training schools on base.
The married patch with a village of over 300 ADF homes is also covered by a door-to-door delivery service.

• ADF families in the married patch on base can also access door-to-door home deliveries.
• Note: set days and times for delivery.
  An ordering notice period is required for click & collect or delivery options.
• FREE DELIVERY promotion is available for the launch. A minimum spend of $20 on goods is required for delivery (excludes alcohol).
• https://shop.aafcans.gov.au
• The facility will continue to evolve – aligned with user support.

AAFCANS invested approx $k for the equipment upgrade

• AAFCANS mobile amenities investment and refreshment program continues.
• 2 new food vans delivered, 1 new vehicle delivered to Lavarack Barracks January 2023
  and 1 new vehicle delivered for Holsworthy Barracks March 2023
• 9 vehicles delivered to-date. 2 with tap & go coffee on board.

• March 2023, AAFCANS is trialling dual coffee blends on 3 bases (RAAF Williamtown, Gallipoli Barracks and Lavarack Barracks).
• Customers can choose their brew. The Beraldo Forte blend or Beraldo Signature roast – 100% Arabica. Both roasted locally in Melbourne.

• February 2023, AAFCANS is trialling new protein shakes at RAAF Williamtown & Gallipoli Barracks for further implementation post-trial.
• 5 options, 100% real fruit, all milk options offered and 30g of Mushashi quality protein powder.

November 2022
AAFCANS benefited from a Defence facility upgrade at RAAF Tindal Canteen and Convenience store/fuel stop.
Customers entering fuel-side or poolside can enjoy a panorama of quick grab groceries, retail, healthy & beauty, grab-and-go food, healthy salads, barista coffee and a TV menu of freshly cooked-to-order meals. The new dining lounge welcomes customers with its soft coffee shop furnishings, comfy dining booths with GPO/USB A&C recharge capacity, casual meals, and snack-style tables. The room is lit with industrial LED pendant lighting. Window murals featuring iconic RAAF Tindal base imagery and specialised decor such as unique RAAF Tindal Map add an aviator theme to the ambience. The build benefited from an investment in new equipment to help increase service efficiencies and expand menu capability. The design featured sustainable building materials such as innovatively engineered Bettastone countertops (silica-free and made from recycled crushed glass). Rustic Australian timbers such as spotted gum, Tasmanian Oak and birch; FSC certified and harvested sustainably. A coffee area waiting couch awaits, magazine rack for our Defence newspapers and an adjustable height designer toddler chair for families dining with little people.

AAFCANS has reserved space in the dining room to display indigenous artworks in the future.

Latchford Barracks canteen décor immersed in history. The décor of the newly refurbished amenities facility features historical and military artifacts and memorabilia draping the walls, ceilings and seating areas. Post-WWII metal food strainers frame the coffee machine turning the kitchen relics into designer light fittings. ASCO (Australian Services Canteen Organisation) historic pallets hang from the ceiling as decorative lighting trusses over the seating areas. The dock pallets (from circa 1958) were discovered in deep storage on base and repurposed for the build. These, along with an ASCO handmade step ladder (possibly made on base), circa 1940s/50s timber drink crates which were refashioned into a sideboard by the builders, now form part of the new look canteen. AAFCANS added a history cupboard filled with historic military books, genuine trench art mug, circa 1915/17, vintage trade tools, a vintage army health manual 1954, and more. Vintage Army recruitment posters, 1920s explosives box (iconic Nobels Explosives), the inventor of dynamite and purveyor of materials to the Victorian goldfields and Defence are just some of the décor treasures. The build benefited from an investment in new equipment to help increase service efficiencies and expand menu capability. The design featured sustainable building materials such as innovatively engineered Bettastone countertops (silica-free and made from recycled crushed glass). The design featured rustic Australian spotted gum feature walls and shelves.

AAFCANS invested approx $280k

• Off the back of the successful implementation at AAFCANS / RAAF Williamtown, AAFCANS expanded its cup recycling to benefit other bases.
  Partnering with Veolia AAFCANS will help to provide cup rescue stations across twelve of its busy outlets in 2022. Veolia have evolved this concept to include approx. 20 Defence bases.
• The coordination of this project has included transitioning the outlets to a complete environmentally compostable drink cup range, and facilitating organic collections by base. (In the case of RAAF Wagga an organic consumption facility is currently being set-up with a nearby worm farm in lieu of no commercial organic collection facility nearby).
• This initiative is set to roll out to the first seven bases in August 2022.
• AAFCANS will help bolster community engagement and be a conduit for positive waste management and environmental change on base.

AAFCANS has initiated a new recipe and menu management platform ‘Nutritics’.

The software and implementation program is designed to provide compliant nutritional information, assist in accurate recipe builds and produce food labels with dietary, allergens comms and use-by details. The new platform was rolled out across all outlets which meant the deployment of new software, specialised label printers, restructuring and setting up hundreds of product lines suitable for the new software format and applying nutritional information across our food offer.

• January 2022
• Our new DIY mix & match salad concept provides a range of base salads and a selection of protein pods to build your own healthy nutritious meal.
• Vegetarian, vegan and superfood options are available.

AAFCANS designed and purpose-built a new mobile amenities vehicle with tap & go coffee onboard. The vehicle project delivers a new design concept for AAFCANS which will be included as part of the fleet for select bases.
The vehicle joined the fleet at RAAF Amberley and was taken through its paces by the base, and passed the trial with chequered flags. An additional new vehicle has been procured and is on its way to RAAF Edinburgh.

“This acquisition forms part of AAFCANS strategic investment program which commenced in 2018. It is projected the replacement and refreshment rollout will carry through to 2023 and impact our overall fleet. Five new vehicles are already working on Defence bases around the country with more scheduled for delivery in 2022-23.
The sleek new self-serve machine allows customers to select their favourite coffee with a single tap and delivers a quality freshly ground barista-style coffee in just a few minutes.  ” Says Mr Tim Manic AAFCANS Managing Director.

The offer provides Beraldo veteran-owned quality coffee beans – the same coffee served in AAFCANS outlets. The onboard grinders freshly grind the beans on the go and the dedicated onboard refrigeration unit feeds fresh milk into the machine. The contemporary coffee kit works together to provide a quality barista-style takeaway coffee ready-to-go in minutes and has been calibrated with filtered water and to cope with the production required for a grab & go offer.

AAFCANS invested approx $110k ea for the latest van acquisitions.