Founded by brothers Stan and Wally Carter in Brisbane in 1936, the company is one of the country's respected produce firms, servicing major retailers in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.
Sales and Growing Operations Manager Andrew Christodoulou says Carter & Spencer has also set itself apart as a 100% vertically integrated company, covering fresh produce growing, packing, procurement, logistics, packaging and marketing across the board.
“It’s been an evolution over the last 40 years or so, and I’d say it’s probably ramped up substantially over the past 10 years,” he says, adding that it has given them a greater ability to service customers efficiently and consistently.
“An integral part of the business for us is – and has been for 80 years – having the right relationships with people because we know that leads to benefits for all components of the industry,” he says.
“So we look at the total supply chain. Everything from who technically is involved on the growing side, to researchers and agronomists in the field, right through to the retail perspective.”
As well as valuing relationships with all the key stakeholders in the industry, Mr Christodoulou says understanding what consumers are looking for is also a major priority for Carter & Spencer.“Consumer feedback is important for all businesses, it’s essential to consider when developing new components, new varieties, and ultimately understanding what the consumer wants and how we can get that to them in the best possible form.”
The company’s marketing department communicates with consumers through social media, web and advertising to provide them with nutritional information and serving suggestions, as the digital space is becoming more influential in consumer purchasing decisions.
“Gone are the days of being a grower and growing something then hoping someone wants to buy it,” Mr Christodoulou says.
“You have to now go beyond that and look at what the consumer wants and the value offers you can make. And that’s not necessarily price, but what consumers will see as valuable.”
He says it must start with the needs and wants of the consumer, and one way to do this is by exploring different varieties of a particular produce line, such as sweet potato.
“We spend lot of time and effort researching what consumers want and develop our product line and value offers from there,” he says.
“So right now we have three varieties of sweet potatoes, with different colour and flavour profiles for each. We have a Gold variety, a Red that has reddish skin and white flesh, and what is known as a Hawaiian, which has white skin and purple flesh. All three have different flavour profiles and textures, so consumers can use them in different ways.”
Carter & Spencer’s sweet potatoes are grown in Queensland, in conjunction with strategic growing partners, with a total of between 800 to 1000 acres harvested annually.
Mr Christodoulou says they have been able to grow this category of produce by watching changes in consumer trends and demand.
“Sweet potatoes, year-on-year, have continued to grow both in volume requirements and the number of consumers taking them up based on their health benefits,” he says.
“I think there’s been a major push towards sweet potatoes as a healthy alternative to other products and we’re also starting to see that in the likes of processing as well.”
“We’re seeing more in pre-packaged snacks such as chips, and in the restaurant trade, with fries and wedges – it’s already huge in the US, and I think we’re going to see more of that in Australia. So it’s quite exciting moving into processing, and consumers are driving that. And as fresh sweet potatoes become more consistent in availability, we’re also seeing them being introduced as staples for household grocery shopping.”
Ginger is another major produce line for Carter & Spencer, with two main varieties grown on its farm in Queensland.
Mr Christodoulou says they have been working with consumers and the Australian Ginger Industry Association to help educate people on the benefits of different varieties of ginger.
“We have got one variety, Canton that’s young and fresh, it’s white with pink tips and great for stir fries because it has a lot of zing. Then we’ve got your mature Queensland ginger, which has a bit more of a stronger, more familiar flavour and aroma that works well for traditional recipes and value-added or processed products,” he says.
“What’s really great in Australia is that we can now supply consumers with 100% Australian ginger for 12 months of the year. At the moment, a lot of people don’t realise that, but it’s quite amazing when you look at the ginger industry – which consists of value-added products, processed products and fresh ginger – and we have all or almost all 100% Australian origin options.”
Carter & Spencer currently produce approximately 700,000 kilograms of ginger per year, which is sold fresh to market.As well as ginger and sweet potato, Mr Christodoulou says the company grows a range of other fresh fruit and vegetables. In particular, he notes that they have moved into greenhouse production for eggplants and also have a citrus orchard that grows oranges, mandarins, lemons and limes, as well as passionfruit.
He says recent seasons have been good for the company.
“We’ve been able to produce what we consider as high quality, flavour-packed products for Australian consumers,” he says.
“We’re always excited about the product we grow because we know what goes into it. We don’t cut any corners and we have our own in-house quality production teams who work up and down the whole supply chain, so that maintains the integrity of the product right through to when it reaches the customer.”
As well as servicing the domestic market with local product, Carter & Spencer exports and imports produce based on seasonal availability. They have 100% Australian owned companies in New Zealand and the United States, with in-house quality teams.
“These offices definitely make it easier for cross-global trade, and for sourcing counter-seasonal product, like navel oranges, which we’re importing now from the US to Australia,” Mr Christodoulou says.
“It also gives us a better understanding of the industry on a global scale, which is important to us because we’re extremely passionate and committed to industry as a whole.”
“We don’t look at it from one end as supplier, or distributor, we look at the supply chain as a whole and see where we can add value.”
Carter & Spencer is celebrating 80 years as a family-run and owned business in 2016. It’s also now under third generation management, with the fourth generation also working for the company Managing Director Craig Spencer also reaching a milestone of 40 years with the company.
For more information:
Colette Tayt
Carter & Spencer
Tel: +617 3361 5576
Email: colette.tayt@carter-spencer.com.au
www.carter-spencer.com.au