Pick-your-own farms are becoming increasingly popular with both Australian growers and customers, allowing farmers to be price makers instead of price takers.
Visiting an apple orchard to pick your own fruit may sound like a fun family day out, but for grower Greg Mouat it means big business."We probably sell about 20 per cent of what we grow, but that would account for around 50 per cent of our income," Mr Mouat said.
"They're quite brutal in the way they price their fruit, you have to be growing really high quality fruit, attaining high yields and getting a very good package. "We are very focused on that. That's why we are doing a range of things to make our supermarket sector more competitive. We've empowered the ACCC, the consumer watchdog."Kylie and Michael Cashen, who operate their pick-your-own strawberry farm on the urban fringe of Wagga Wagga, were told by another farmer that avoiding supermarkets would be key to their success.
"Whereas they'll tend to find the ones in the supermarket are picked quite green and they will change colour but they won't get sweeter."To make their business more profitable, the Cashens have also diversified beyond the picking patch with a cafe at the farm where they made strawberry goods including ice cream, pies, gin and jam.They now host events at the farm including music festivals, weddings, school groups and mums and bubs meet-ups.
"Coming directly to the farm is always a better option, purely because you can guarantee the flavour, the taste, the quality," he said.
Apples Cherries Pick Your Own Fruit Farm U Pick Supermarket Duopoly Farming Orchard Sustainable Farming War On Waste Family Fun School Holidays Wagga Wagga Hillside Harvest Bidgee Strawberries And Cream Supermarket Inquiry
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