48 | HORTICULTURE Kea Fruit LP T T Karen Phelps Getting returns to growers a focus Kea Fruit LP has established a reputation for providing a solid return to growers on multiple classes of fruit. A focus on getting returns back into growers’ pockets has seen Kea Fruit LP grow exponentially year on year. “We haven’t gone out there pushing to find extra volume,” says general manager Richard Ward. “It’s coming to us naturally on result and word of mouth. It’s picked up quickly.” Since its establishment in 2021 by a group of grower shareholders seeking a better way, Kea Fruit LP has formed strong foothold and recognition in key markets, says Richard. Made up of growers and exporters Kea Fruit LP has over 100 years joint experience in the fresh produce industry. “The aims of Kea Fruit LP was to offer these grower shareholders a secure packing facility where they weren’t relying on the packing schedule of others. It was about growers controlling the inner working in the packing operation to suit their operations, timing and fruit.” Kea Fruit LP opened its packing facility in 2022 where around ten commodity varieties are packed for both shareholders and a growing list of independent growers. It boasts a state of the art Compac defect sorter, with 41 drops, to allow many packing options. Richard says Kea Fruit LP has established a reputation for providing a solid return to growers on multiple classes of fruit – C1, C1 ½ and C2 – resulting in a return on 85-90% of every bin. Volumes have grown each year, expected to reach almost 30,000 bins this year and 35,000 bins by 2025. “We have proved in our return to grower that we are recovering a better margin to orchard,” says Richard. Richard, who is new to his role as Kea Fruit LP, has been in the industry for over 30 years. In that time he’s worked across all facets of the industry with roles including post harvest manager and manger of orchards for a big brand. He says this has given him great overview knowledge of the industry, which he brings to his position at Kea Fruit LP. “It’s been a coming home experience for me. The bigger companies of the world are volume driven with smaller margins so the grower is at the bottom of the pile, “Kea is grower focused – we focus on the return back to orchard. Although everyone says they do this it’s been lost for independent growers I feel.” This is evidenced by Kea Fruits LP’s approach to selling through a panel of exporters rather than a single entity. “Bigger entities will sell all the fruit themselves but nobody is good at selling everything. They want to, as that is how they make their margins. Kea Fruit LP runs a panel system where we have three exporters, we set prices every week and if those exporters can meet that price they get the first right to sell that fruit. Then we have other exporters as well.” With a secure grower base established and expanding, Kea Fruit LP has a strategic plan going forward to accommodate future growth including looking closely at additional AI and robotics in the packing line. “The industry is tough and the margins are squeezed but at Kea Fruit LP we are doing a great job of getting return to the grower and putting money in their pocket.” EXIM Trading Global (EXIM) has come together with growers and other exporters to form Kea Fruit LP. Approaching this collectively means we now have the ability to invest in the most advanced technology in grading which gives us various packing options for all markets. Having the capability to market to each country/customer based on their particular specifications is invaluable. EXIM prides itself on supplying customers with the highest-quality fresh fruit and vegetables. We are a globally recognised import/export company that prioritises quality, integrity, and a customer-centric approach to satisfy the needs of all our stakeholders. Our commitment to providing premium produce is displayed by how closely we work with our supply chain to ensure that the highest possible standards are met from the grower/supplier to the consumer. www.eximtrading.com.au Packaging Central ˏȫˏcasectrlȲ+&%"/Ȑ +) Proudly Supplying Quality Corrugated Packaging to Kea Fruit Limited ojifs.com
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=