Premier tomato grower Flavorite is hosting a launch for Californian (CA) peaches and nectarines at Melbourne’s wholesale markets this Thursday 15 August, following a launch hosted by grower-marketer Fresh Produce Group in Sydney this morning (12 August).
CA stonefruit gained landmark access to the Australian market less than one month previously on 19 July, after an import protocol was first released by Biosecurity Australia at the start of May.
At present, peaches and nectarines are the only stonefruit products deemed to meet Australia’s stringent quarantine requirements. These will be available in Australia stores until mid-October, when the CA season comes to a close.
The launches are providing a valuable networking opportunity for industry representatives, as well as offering attendees the opportunity to sample the newly arrived CA products.
Jeffrey Bleich, the US ambassador to Australia, emphasised to Produce Marketing the excellent prospects this news brings for CA’s stonefruit industry.
“The early welcome extended to California peaches and nectarines by Australian consumers and retailers has led California stonefruit growers to forecast the market could reach US$50m over the next five years, especially if plums are also permitted access to the Australian market,” he said in a Produce Marketing press release.
