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Tasmanian apple exporters forge new pathways
Fruit Growers Tasmania | Thursday, 22 August 2024, 9.00am
Last week a second container of Tiger Fuji apples from Tasmania arrived in Taipei to be sold through local retail stores as part of a collaboration between growers Scott Bros, Pinnacle Fine Foods and well known fruit exporter Hansen Orchards.
Peter Cornish, CEO of Fruit Growers Tasmania said, “The apple business is very challenging at the moment, but as usual Tasmanian fruit growers draw on their ingenuity and grit to keep identifying new commercial pathways.”
The Tiger Fuji variety is a great eating apple that is owned by Scott Bros and has been grown here in Tassie for around 10 years. It grows well in Tasmania due to the cool temperate climate, which allows fruit to stay on the tree for longer to fully develop flavour, size and colour. Our temperate climate means Tasmanian apples store particularly well, so are ideal for export.
Scott Bros and Pinnacle Fine Foods worked together this season to jointly supply export apples into the Taiwanese market, ensuring there was a sufficient volume of large sized, quality fruit. The first container was exported from Scott Bros in the Huon valley in July and the second from Pinnacle Fine Foods in the Tamar Valley.
To launch the Tiger Fuji apples as part of the mid-autumn festival in Taiwan, an instore marketing campaign was arranged by Hansen Orchards. The marketing activities have included apple displays, in-store tastings and social media posts by local social media influencers.
Additional promotional support was provided by Fruit Growers Tasmania with support from the international apple co-promotion program run by Horticulture Innovation Australia.
To coincide with the second container arriving, Andrew Scott from Scott Bros visited Taipei retail stores to speak with the retailers and their customers about the product.
Andrew commented, “There was significant interest in our fruit, and I was pleased how well our apples compared with others I saw. Ours looked and tasted fresh and crisp to the bite.
“I think the only barrier to us having success in the Taiwan market is the import tariff of 20 per cent on Australian apples. It’s a huge cost disadvantage and one that many of our competitors, such as New Zealand, don’t face.”
Taiwan imports about 135,000 tonnes of apples each year. These are largely imported from the United States of America, New Zealand, Chile, and Japan. Tasmania has export access to Taiwan due to our pest free area status, which means we are not required to undertake phytosanitary treatments.
Peter Cornish concluded, “This is a tremendous example of grower collaboration, and hats off to these growers who keep finding a way. As an industry body, we will keep supporting their efforts by promoting Tasmanian fruit and its outstanding quality and taste.”
