After challenging year for Victorian fruit farmers, SPC sees better times ahead

“Agribusiness has always faced constant challenges, but 2022 was particularly difficult for our farmers in the Shepparton township and surrounding Goulburn Valley,” says Jenny Thomas, General Manager Foodservice and Industrial for SPC.

 “First, we had severe, widespread flooding, peaking at record levels of 12.1 metres, which had a direct impact not only on the farmers tomato planting and crop but also upon many of our employees. This was followed by continued storms, which led to hail damage on young stone fruit crops throughout the Valley – so it’s been a double blow to our growers.”

 SPC has worked hard to continue supporting farmers and suppliers across these difficult months, and the good news is that even amid these weather-related issues, there is still fantastic quality fruit coming out of the region.

“We’ve been in the thick of risk mitigation, and as foodservice professionals would be aware, there is a widespread public perception that fruit has to look perfect, and naturally the hail damage has impacted upon that,” Jenny says. For those crops which have received superficial blemishes due to hail, the focus is to find processing applications whereby the fruit can be used in pulp or puree form.

And here the stars have aligned, thanks to Tennis Australia seeking to create a bespoke Australian fruit-based dessert for the Australian Open – one which would rival Wimbledon’s traditional Strawberries and Cream.

Melbourne-based restaurateur David Mackintosh worked with Tennis Australia and Delaware North, caterers for the Australian Open, on the concept ‘Peach Melbourne’ – a contemporary take on the traditional Peach Melba which is suitably refreshing over the Australian summer.

Peach Melbourne consists of soft-serve ice cream with peach coulis, topped with freeze dried raspberries.

Mindful of the need to ensure that this iconic Australian dessert would contain Australian fruit, Delaware North sought supply from SPC, as one of Australia’s biggest and best-known fruit processors.

“We recognised immediately that our fruit prep product, which is made from natural Victorian fruit, would be ideal. We had plenty of Goulburn Valley peaches available, and as it is a fruit puree, any surface damage to the fruit from hail didn’t affect the quality of the product.” Jenny explains. “So, we simply worked to create a specific peach flavour which would complement the soft serve ice cream and freeze-dried raspberries”.

“Everything has worked in terms of timings, with the initial challenges of Covid diminishing and the industry opening up again, and it’s exciting to be able to present a genuine good news story to our farmers, staff and the public after the challenges of the year gone by,” Jenny affirms.

Peach Melbourne was launched in January for this year’s Australian Open. With 55,000 serves anticipated overall, supplies were already selling out at the venues on day one.

“The uptake by the public has been incredible, and we’re thrilled to be able to share this positive piece of news with the foodservice sector and the broader Australian public,” Jenny says. “We all hope it heralds a great year ahead, as the industry continues to recover. Yes, we’ve gone through a tough time like many other food companies, but we see this as a positive step which exemplifies the industry’s resilience – we’re forging ahead, supporting our farmers in any way we can, and the Australian food sector through continuing supply of quality Australian fruit.”

Connect with SPC online: LinkedIn: @SPCGlobal Instagram: @spcfoodsolutions