Coast company’s Avocado ‘world first’ ready for export

The Sunshine Coast’s rapidly growing Food and Agribusiness industry that contributes around $670 million to our local economy each year has another exporting success story.

Coolum-based Sunfresh has signed a distributorship agreement with a Hong Kong importer for a new product that is set to revolutionise the avocado industry.

Sunfresh Deputy Manager Evan Heidemann said the business had recently implemented purpose built technology to process avocados in manner that greatly increases their shelf-life and distribution potential within Australia and overseas.

“Through a unique process developed by Coolum-based food technology company, Naturo Technologies, we can now process 100% natural avocado with no chemicals or preservatives added that greatly prolongs their shelf-life and so enables us broader export potential nationally and around the world,” he said.

“This is a wonderful outcome for Sunfresh and the avocado industry. It attracted plenty of interest from a number of countries at the recent HOFEX trade show in Hong Kong and as a result we have earned a distributorship agreement with a Hong Kong-based importer and we’ve received an order for our avocado.”

Deputy Mayor Tim Dwyer supported a Trade and Invest Queensland trade mission attended by five Sunshine Coast exporters to the HOFEX trade show earlier this month to help showcase the region’s niche food businesses internationally and generate more export opportunities.

Cr Dwyer said the aim of the trade mission was to increase exposure of locally produced goods and services to buyers and distributors in the Asian market, and secure a greater share of regional exports into the Asian region.

“I had a number of conversations with Evan whilst at HOFEX and got to understand the unique offer that Sunfresh bring to the market,” Cr Dwyer said.

“It’s terrific to see Sunfresh achieving this with a distributor in Hong Kong and I congratulate them wholeheartedly.

“HOFEX is Asia’s largest food and hospitality exhibition, attracting more than 2,500 exhibiting companies from 70 different countries and in excess of 50,000 buyers. So it’s an extremely competitive environment and a great credit to Sunfresh to have a standout product that has earned an export contract with a Hong Kong importer.”

The Sunshine Coast Regional Economic Development Strategy 2013-33 aims for 20% of locally produced goods and services to be available for export outside the region. To help drive this into action council provides an Export and Global Capability program as well as regular Export Networking events.

To find out more about council’s export programs, visit the business section on council’s website.

The key benefits for businesses who export include:

• Access to new sources of revenue
• Helps reduce risk by broadening customer base
• Assists with recruiting better quality staff
• Can be a catalyst for innovation

Sunshine Coast Food and Agribusiness industry fast facts:

• Contributes around $670 million to the Sunshine Coast economy each year
• Currently employs more than 5,000 people.
• Council and the Sunshine Coast Food and Agribusiness Taskforce have helped to achieve $27million in new capital expenditure and created over 230 new jobs on the Sunshine Coast over the last two years.
• More than 900 agricultural businesses are based on the Sunshine Coast including world class companies like Sunfresh, Gourmet Garden, Walker Seafoods, Nutworks, Buderim Ginger, and Co Yo.
• A host of the Sunshine Coast’s leading Food and Agribusinesses are showcased on a delivery truck which travels approximately 290,000km per year through northern NSW, South East Queensland, Toowoomba, Bundaberg and beyond.