The Port Cygnet Cannery owners announce they are looking for new owners
and will close the restaurant and event space doors after
the last farm lunch on Sunday 5 March 2023.

Current owners, Paul and Michelle Gilding, are incredibly proud of what they have built at the Cannery site and the sister enterprise at Gardners Bay Farm. It gave them an opportunity to contribute to Tasmania and particularly to Cygnet and the Huon Valley. The venue development created interesting and purposeful jobs for around 50 local people who were involved - first in the award-winning renovation process and then in developing and operating an authentic, integrated farm to table restaurant and event space that sought to represent all that is amazing about the Huon Valley and Tasmania.

From its humble beginnings in 1938, the Port Cygnet Cannery was fortified by empowering its community to make a better living from the land. Over decades we have seen the Cannery evolve, but the one thing which has remained consistent is the ethos to serve the community.

The current team at Port Cygnet Cannery and Gardners Bay Farm, and those that came before them, have worked so hard and with such commitment to create the beautiful warm and inviting experience that eating and celebrating at the Cannery has become. “They all bought in to the passion and purpose of showing how food can be produced and presented. We are so proud of them.” - Paul Gilding

“It's worth acknowledging that our timing in opening a major hospitality and event business 3 months before COVID was not ideal (!) Like many hospitality businesses both locally and around the world, we have struggled through this period, trying to find an approach that delivered on our purpose and values while being commercially viable. But that is all in the past for us now.” - Paul Gilding

Michelle’s work in driving the renovation process and launching the enterprise is done, and she has retired. While Paul has been supporting the team to manage the business, his main life focus and passion is as a writer and a global sustainability expert. With sustainability gaining intense global attention (at last!), this is where his focus needs to be.

It’s time for new owners with new passion to continue the journey. Whoever they are and whatever their vision is, the impact of the physical transformation of this important site, with its rich cultural history and community significance, will be felt for decades to come. That is the legacy of Paul and Michelle’s involvement.

Paul and Michelle wish to thank all who visited the Port Cygnet Cannery and the team who worked so hard to bring you amazing and interesting food that was grown with love and presented with passion.