We are certainly lucky in Australia to have a reasonably reliable supply of fresh food, even when certain parts of the country are struggling with what Mother Nature is throwing at them.
One of the side effects of this relative luxury though is that in the past, as a nation we have often been complacent when it comes to food wastage. Thankfully though, over time there has been a growing awareness of reducing waste of all types and that is basically how our food processing business came to be.
We solved a big problem.
The Problem
You’ve probably noticed that when you buy fresh fruit and vegetables from the major retailers, that the produce is quite pleasing on the eye. It’s colourful, perfectly shaped, undamaged, and beautifully presented.
The reality is that a lot of the produce that is harvested on farms is perfectly fine on the inside, but it’s not model material. So, it doesn’t make the grade to be sold in the large supermarkets.
What happens to it then?
Some of it might go on to ‘lower-tier’ retailers, but a lot either ends up as stock feed or just being dumped. Much of the time it costs more to move it through a distribution chain than what it can be sold for.
The result is a massive amount of food that is nutritionally perfect on the inside going to waste just because it’s not good looking on the outside.
Our Solution
Creating a solution for the off-the-top line was one of the drivers of our change from being a grower ourselves to becoming a processor.
Once they are peeled, sliced, diced, cubed, pureed etc. these vegetables are no different from their more attractive counterparts. In fact, they often find themselves being served in some of the finest restaurants in the land.
By turning these odd-shaped vegetables into stars, we have created a business that reduces waste and helps make the whole supply chain more sustainable.
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