Travis Georgopoulos manages 607 hectares of apples and pears for his family's GVIP Orchards in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria. Around 30% of their production is delivered to export markets. The orchards grow Williams, Packham, Beurré Bosc, Corella, and Josephine pears, as well as the early Red Sienna Pride® variety bred by Travis's brother James. Certified organic since 2020, GVIP also produces Gala, Granny Smith, ANAPB 01 (marketed domestically as Bravo® and internationally as Soluna™), and high-coloured Cripps Pink cultivars.
Travis began working in the family business at age 18 in the packing shed and now, at 28, manages 23 full-time staff and over 150 seasonal workers during harvest and pruning. Achieving consistent fruit quality remains a focus, especially for export markets GVIP has supplied since 2009.
© APAL
"My grandfather was quite strong in exporting and Dad has always been an advocate, especially when the Australian industry was struggling to move quantity – he knew exports would help us domestically," Travis said. "It can be very challenging at times. Last year, we had a lighter crop, but we still had to manage supply. It depends on keeping your relationships strong, remembering that overseas customers have to maintain market share, and if the Australian product isn't there, they can lose it."
GVIP recently completed a Williams pear program to Canada, which required maintaining quality over a travel time of up to 35 days. "The Canada program went really well; it was quite strong for GVIP and helped the domestic market for Williams enormously. We're keen to do it again next year," said Travis. The company also exports Williams pears to Indonesia and Singapore, and is a licensed grower and packer for the Soluna apple program. Apples may be shipped to China in 2026 when the market opens to mainland Australia.
Travis works with agronomists to refine both conventional and organic production with emphasis on integrated pest and disease management. He identifies automation as the next major step. "I think our biggest challenge is to automate more in the orchards to reduce the need for labour. The Covid-19 pandemic was a very challenging time for us in terms of finding workers," he said. Automating the packing line has lifted throughput to about 23,000 kilograms per hour.
The Georgopoulos and Zurcas families have been producing fruit in Australia since the 1940s, merging to establish GVIP Orchards. Travis acknowledges the family's close working relationship as a strength, noting: "We all have different strengths, but we feel very fortunate to work together, and we always say good morning and good night to each other."
© APALFor more information:
APAL
Tel: +61 3 9329 3511
Email: [email protected]
www.apal.org.au
