The new CEO of Murray Goulburn, Ari Mervis, has done something small but truly fabulous: he’s apologised for stuffing up.

On Tuesday, Mr Mervis told listeners to ABC Radio’s Country Hour program that MG’s opening price of $4.70 was “…well above the cost of production” in an interview with Warwick Long. I wasn’t sure if he was out of touch or trying to spin a pig’s ear into a silk purse. Either way, it wasn’t a good look for the head of Australia’s largest milk processor.

In this apology totally devoid of spin, Mr Mervis cuts to the chase and recognises the difficulty facing its farmer suppliers.

While MG’s opening will not make it a price leader, Mr Mervis’ letter to suppliers signals that, after a couple of years in the wilderness, the co-op is back on the path of becoming a values leader in Australian dairy.