Australia will soon have its first brand of 100% Australian grown frozen berries, processed on purpose built Australian engineered machinery in the Yarra Valley. Production is expected to begin in August, as the co-founders of Matilda's, Matt and Ruth Gallace, confirmed they have found suppliers in every state and are ready to begin production.
Matilda’s is the first Australian business to produce locally grown berries in commercial quantities. The demand for Australian grown frozen berries increased after 24 people contracted Hepatitis A from eating contaminated frozen mixed berries, imported from China, back in February. The contamination scare has also sparked a debate in the media and changes to country of origin labelling requirements.
The Gallaces are using berries from Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, which has been in the family for fifty years, and sits on 800 acres of land in Victoria and Queensland. Matilda's will source raspberries and blueberries from New South Wales.
The origin of every product will be completely transparent – clearly labelled on the bag, with no part of the product, or process, occurring offshore.
“Now we’re at the end of the Victorian season, we’re going to use fruit from our Queensland farms when it’s at its absolute peak to ensure when it hits the shelves, we know unequivocally that we’re delivering the best product we possibly can,” said Ruth Gallace.
The Gallaces had hoped to have product on shelves earlier, but the business refused to compromise on quality.
“We have had to start this entirely from scratch. That has meant having machinery purpose built and designed, and creating a factory from the ground up. The decision has meant things have taken much longer, much like an architectural house build, but we've chosen to take absolutely no short cuts, and we're really proud of that. Everything about this business is Australian made.”
