BerryWorld Australia has introduced the next offering in its mix, raspberries.
Grown under polytunnels at Stanthorpe in southern Queensland, the company’s first raspberries arrived on Australian supermarket shelves in mid-January.
“As this is our first crop, we wanted to produce during the traditional Australian raspberry season (November to March), which is the ideal time, climatically, to grow raspberries,” said BerryWorld Australia managing director Gavin Scurr.
“It makes sense to work with known conditions and market forces. Summer is also when consumers are accustomed to looking for raspberries.”
While a small volume of fruit was initially picked, Scurr said a progressive increase is expected over coming months.
'We'll also be producing raspberries past the traditional peak and leading up to winter,” he added. “We expect this may be more challenging in terms of conditions, yet we hope consumers will be excited about having quality fresh raspberries for longer.'
After announcing its presence in the berry category with strawberries last year, raspberries are the second of three berry lines to be produced by BerryWorld Australia – a joint venture between Piñata Farms and the BerryWorld Group. Blackberries will follow in 2020.
Scurr said the market for raspberries had changed significantly in Australia over recent years, with suppliers now enjoying more opportunities to “shake up” the category.
'Raspberries have never been more affordable,” he explained. “Sales have traditionally reflected the differences in supply volumes but, with supply being stronger than ever, sales have been competitive. There are also several new category entrants, including BerryWorld, driven by the desire to extend the seasonal availability of raspberries for the domestic market.
'This landscape presents us with a chance to change the consumer's perception that Australian raspberries lack flavour and are too expensive.'
