Third generation strawberry farmers Matt and Ruth Gallace launched Matilda’s Frozen Fruits in December 2015, making it the first company to offer 100% locally grown frozen berries in stores around the country.
The inspiration for the brand came after dozens of people contracted Hepatitis A from eating contaminated frozen mixed berries, which were imported, earlier in 2015. The outbreak led to widespread media coverage and consumer concerns, as well as calls for clearer country-of-origin labelling.
“We shouldn’t have uncertainty about origin,” Matilda’s co-founder Ruth Gallace says. “Consumers should have a clear choice regardless of what they decide to do.”
The company has led the way in this regard, including details of the region of Australia where the fruit in each package comes from.
“When we sourced equipment for the factory in the Yarra Valley, I wanted to make sure we had complete transparency in our labels, and as a mother, I can see why consumers increasingly want to know the origin of food and want to trust that what they’re buying is what is listed on the packet,” Mrs Gallace says.Matilda’s first launched frozen strawberries in December, with the majority of berries coming from their already established farms.
“Our family farms, Sunny Ridge, have 800 acres of land spread over three growing regions on the Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley in Victoria and Sunshine Coast in Queensland,” she says, adding that Sunny Ridge also sells fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries direct to market.
“To ensure year round supply we also source berries from other reputable Australian growers who we’ve built relationships with in our 50 years of farming.”
Mrs Gallace says the demand has been so great that they have been able to expand their product lines in just a few months, recently launching seasonal mixed berries, blueberries and mangoes.
“Consumer feedback has been fantastic. People are telling us they are really happy with the quality of the product and they are taking to social media to spread the word,” she says.
“From retailers it has also been very positive. We are seeing re-orders and they are reporting to us that consumers are coming in asking for our products by name.”
She says their commitment to producing high quality, local frozen fruit has informed the entire process, from harvest to consumption, and all happens on site in a purpose-built factory in Victoria’s Yarra Valley.
“For example with our strawberries, they are hand-picked, graded and hand-hulled and put through a three step washing and sanitisation process involving five water blades, snap frozen and packaged on site.”
While other processing facilities may also process nuts or other foods, Mrs Gallace says they have set up their facility to prevent any issues or concerns faced by people with allergies or those who have children with allergies.
“My daughter has anaphylaxis, so this is something very close to my heart. The beauty of having our own site means it’s only used exclusively for fruit, so we know there is nothing else processed on site.”
She says her kids also inspired them to include frozen mangoes in their product line.
“My kids love mango smoothies, and because we only use Australian fruit, it was a natural extension of what we’re doing with berries,” she says.
“Australia also grows the best mangoes in the world and we’ve seen consumers increasingly ask for frozen mangoes because of convenience.”
Matilda’s products are available in premium independent supermarket across the nation, with production and distribution continuing to grow through retailer and customer support.
For more information:
Kirstie Bedford
KDJM communications
Tel: +61 437 455 001
Email: kirstie@kdjmcommunications.com.au
www.matildasfruit.com.au