News
6 August, 2023
Win for Moreton Bay berry farmers
Innovators Stuart and Allison McGruddy have been rewarded for their passion and drive to keep Australian grown and made berry products in supermarket freezers.
The McGruddys founded My Berries in the heart of the Moreton Bay berry growing region in 2013. They turn surplus fresh fruit, that would have been discarded, into value-added frozen and now freeze-dried products.
My Berries provide local farmers with a profitable solution for seasonal fruit waste and offer Australian families a high quality and safe alternative to imports.
The family business recently won the Advanced Manufacturing Award at the 2023 Moreton Bay Business Excellence and Innovation Awards for their use of innovative technologies and processes to transform materials into new products.
Last year My Berries upgraded and expanded their Caboolture facilities to keep up with demand and launched a new snack food range.
This is a back-to-back win for My Berries after taking home the Food and Agribusiness Excellence Award in 2022.
My Berries director Allison McGruddy said their investment in local manufacturing has been a win-win for farmers and consumers.
“After being named an #eatqld champion by the Queensland Government for supporting local farmers and the state’s agricultural sector, we are delighted to be recognised for the technical side of our business and for our product ingenuity,” Allison said.
“The science behind freezing and freeze dried technology relies on the manufacturing process starting quickly straight off the farm to preserve the fruits’ vitamins and antioxidants.
“In Caboolture, we are ideally located a stone’s throw from raspberry, strawberry and blackberry farms allowing us to create highly nutritious and convenient health food products.
“In peak season, we save deliciously ripe berries that don’t meet cosmetic supermarket specs for fresh punnets. We cut, wash and freeze them to safeguard the quality and ensure Australian grown options are available all year round.
“We hate waste so in order to use every berry available to us, last year we decided to expand our range and target the snack food market with grab-and-go packs of freeze dried fruit bites.
“Without adding anything, specialised drying methods intensify the fruit’s flavour and texture to create berries that are sweet and crispy and can be stored at room temperature. They’re so light and crunchy, we call them the popcorn of fruit.
“My Berries is so proud to be flying the Australian manufacturing flag and to be recognised for all the hard work behind the scenes in launching a new product, that’s both grown and made on home soil.”
Moreton Bay Mayor Peter Flannery said this year’s finalists in the business excellence and innovation awards were an inspiration to all businesses in the region.
“In the face of rising input costs, labour shortages and globally difficult trading conditions, these local legends have somehow managed to rise above seemingly insurmountable odds,” Cr Flannery said.
My Berries is a staple in the freezer section of more than 1,200 stores nation wide, and their new freeze-dried range can be found in the snack and pantry aisles too.
Allison and Stuart McGruddy support Australian berry farmers by providing a local manufacturing solution for seasonal fruit waste. Their sons Luther and Gabriel are My Berries' chief taste testers.
