One of Brisbane’s longest standing wholesalers, J E Tipper, has opened its purpose-built JET Direct fruit conditioning, pre-pack and logistics facility to third-party services.
The facility includes a HumidiFresh cool room system that helps maintain fruit quality and weight, and while J E Tipper’s expertise lies in tropical fruit and bananas, business development manager Martin Pitts told Produce Plus the company’s facilities and its well-trained staff can handle volumes of other category lines as well.
“We’ve got expert ripeners with extensive experience in tropical and conventional lines, and we can provide third-party services in labelling, regrading and logistics,” he said.
J E Tipper currently supplies supermarkets and independent customers with pre-packed and loose produce, but Pitts said the JET Direct facility is equipped to supply a diverse range of retailers with their specific packing requirements.
“J E Tipper has been around since the 1930s and we have invaluable generational experience, having serviced the industry through many peaks, troughs and challenges,” Pitts explained. “If we weren’t doing it right, we wouldn’t still be here. Our long history is a sign of our team’s professionalism and customer focus, and the cutting-edge capabilities of our facilities.
“We’re building on that success and maximising the potential of the facility by offering third-party logistics, pre-packing and fruit conditioning to new clients.”
Located near Brisbane’s Rocklea fruit and vegetable market and major highways, Pitts said the JET Direct facility is conveniently positioned and offers quick access to major supermarkets’ distribution centres.
The Acacia Ridge facility was built in 1999, and was significantly expanded and upgraded in 2011 to service J E Tipper’s growing business. The JET Direct facility is now a state-of-the art pre-pack, ripening, cold storage and logistics facility, offering temperature-controlled facilities and ethylene systems.
This interview originally appeared in the spring edition ofProduce Plus
