Fresh Perspectives

Central Markets are important links joining one vast horticulture supply chain. Fresh Perspectives provides an insight into this rich and varied industry, focusing on the characters, and characteristics, of the world of horticulture.

Communication and innovation provides clear path to success

Many roads lead to the Brisbane Markets. For grower-wholesaler Trent Sutton it was a matter of taking an opportunity when it presented itself; for providore Virginya McCosker it was a step forward when the path ahead was unknown; and, for builder Max Burns, it was a deliberate move in his business’ growth. No matter the journey it took for them to get here, all three understand the value of communication and innovation in improving their own businesses and those they work with. Mr Sutton is a fourth generation Lockyer Valley grower and wholesaler principal at Sutton Fresh Direct. Six years ago, the family took on a wholesale tenancy at the Brisbane Produce Market, which Mr Sutton manages, while the farm is in the hands of his father Rick and his brothers Dean and Brock.

“When the opportunity arose to take on a wholesale business, we took it and it has really been a step forward for our company,” Mr Sutton said. “At the moment, we are focused on streamlining the supply chain, finding new opportunities and increasing transparency, not just with our own farm but with all of our partner farms. We are always looking to expand into new regions and expand our capabilities.” For Ms McCosker, the move into the fresh produce industry occurred 14 years ago, when she was at a crossroads in her life and decided to start a small fruit and vegetable co-op while she figured out her next step. “I started a home delivery service providing about 100 boxes a week and for the first few years I purchased via Public Entry at the Brisbane Produce Market. We bought bulk boxes and then picked and packed from my garage. Eventually, my customer base became too big and I transitioned into being a buyer,” Ms McCosker said.

When Ms McCosker was approached by a restaurant to do their fresh produce buying, she decided to start her business, Providore Princess.

“Even though I felt trepidation and had minimal wholesale experience, I decided to give it a go and from there it just escalated!” Ms McCosker said. After undertaking the odd cool room maintenance jobs at the Brisbane Markets in the 70s, Mr Burns knew that getting a foot in the door on site would help put his business on the road to success, but it wasn’t until 1987 that he got his big break. “We saw an opportunity at Brisbane Markets because of the amount of cool rooms that are on site and the level of maintenance work required allowed for ongoing work between larger projects,” Mr Burns said. “When we first came in, no one knew who I was, and I had to prove that I could do the work. Our big start was provided by Brian Engeman at North Coast Ripeners. We ended up winning the project to build three banana ripening rooms. Because my price was so competitive, they ended up putting in four.”

The project paid off, with Mr Engeman providing positive word of mouth amongst markets businesses. As word spread, Mr Burns’ company, SBP Australia, has widened its net across the supply chain, completing projects for growers and transporters. “Since those early beginnings we’ve completed around 500 ripening rooms Australia-wide and have undertaken five major projects at Brisbane Markets, either rebuilding existing infrastructure or new warehouse builds,” Mr Burns said.

Transparency breeds innovation

For Mr Sutton, Ms McCosker and Mr Burns, having open lines of communication is an essential part of their business. Before taking on their wholesale business, the Sutton family found they weren’t getting the feedback they needed to improve their farming enterprise. “There used to be a significant block to receiving information from the final sales point – be that the consumer, the retailer or the processor – it just didn’t get back to us as growers. You can be the best producer of your product line, but if you don’t know what the consumer wants and where they’re trending then you won’t be able to improve,” Mr Sutton said.

Trent Sutton

Sutton Fresh Direct

Virginya McCosker

Providore Princess

Max Burns SBP Australia

“Similarly, wholesalers and retailers don’t necessarily have a full grasp on the production side, so they may not be aware of something that can be done better. If everyone puts their minds together, you’ll find a solution. But if there’s resistance to letting others in the supply chain know what’s really going on, finding solutions takes a lot longer.” The Suttons are fortunate to now have the familial ties between grower and wholesaler, but insist strong relationships and proactive communication between all growers and wholesalers is imperative to achieving innovation across the supply chain. “There’s a different level of information flow now. When I’m talking to the farm, I am talking about things that I used to do myself, so I have a firm understanding of how it all works: what can and can’t be done. Likewise, on the farm they know everything I know about the markets and the supply chain,” Mr Sutton said.

This increased transparency has allowed the Sutton family to make better and more responsive business decisions. “Having open lines of communication allows us to take advantage of opportunities as they arise, rather than just taking a blind guess. By receiving appropriate feedback we get a realistic picture of what we’re doing, how it can be improved and where there are opportunities,” Mr Sutton said. “Now, when we have an idea, we can assess very quickly whether it will be viable or not. We can see if it is worth exploring further and we have a better understanding of what would need to be in place outside of our business to make it work. It cuts down a lot of the trial and error phase of bringing in new products or changing product lines.” Ms McCosker also recognises the importance of free-flowing information and adds value to her services by educating her customers about the source of the fresh produce they purchase. “I want my customers to have a boutique-style providore experience. I like my staff to know exactly where everything is grown so that if a chef asks, they have the answers on hand,” Ms McCosker said.

“We provide a traceability report so my customers know how far the produce has travelled and we try to buy local where possible. We try to use sustainable solutions and packaging. “It’s difficult to compete with the big guys, I just don’t have that capacity but we created a formula that will enable us to grow organically. I’m not going to compete on price, it’s not the way my business works. I try to educate my customers so they realise the value of buying quality Australian produce, even if it costs more. I won’t buy anything in the market if it is not grown in Australia.” For Mr Burns, understanding how a business operates and how individuals like to communicate allows for a smoother and more effective build.

“You learn how people communicate and you really have to be responsive to each individual business’ needs. Some want to know everything, while others only want your opinion on specific aspects of the build,” Mr Burns said. “You also need to understand how a business moves pallets around, why they do it, and how they load the trucks. “The original doorways from the loading docks on site were too tight to load the trucks, so there was a risk of the doorframes being damaged. We increased the width of the doorways to reduce the potential for damage and, for those who want to keep them as is, we install steel frames to protect them.”

Knowing what to expect

A key component of transparency between consumers, retailers, buyers, wholesalers and growers is the ability to provide clear expectations and then fulfil those expectations, Mr Sutton said, which in turn will open up opportunities to further streamline the buying process. “As a wholesaler, we need to give people the product that they expect. That’s not to say everything is a carbon copy; different customers have different expectations. It just means that whatever we say we will provide, we need to deliver and we need to correct the situation if we don’t deliver the product as expected,” Mr Sutton said. “Likewise if the customer, and by extension the consumer, is more clear about their expectations, then it’s easier to deliver the product that’s expected. You don’t need to give away your business secrets, we’re just giving everyone the information that they need to do the job that we expect of them.” For Ms McCosker, a consistent experience keeps her returning to the same suppliers and, in turn, keeps her own customers coming back.

“I have preferred suppliers that have always looked after me. They understand my business and they always provide a consistent product. There is so much value in knowing that you’ll always receive consistency,” Ms McCosker said. While some businesses can be resistant to change, Mr Sutton said that the benefits of increased transparency could have positive application across the horticulture supply chain. “There’s no reason why what we have learnt can’t be applied industry wide. The more open you are with information, the more chance there is to improve your business,” Mr Sutton said.

“Innovation is just people thinking and realising that something can be done better. The more people that are thinking about improving systems, the more likely you are to find those improvements sooner.”

Keeping it colder, longer

One aspect of the fresh produce supply that has drastically improved over time is sustaining the cold chain from picking to eating. Over the 40 years he has been building and maintaining cool room infrastructure, Mr Burns has witnessed a widening understanding of the cold chain’s importance. “Tenants at Brisbane Markets know a lot about logistics, so they know that it is all about palletisation, holding the product at the appropriate temperature and moving it on as quick as they can,” Mr Burns said. “Everyone realises how important the cold chain is now and they can see how long the produce lasts when that remains intact. It’s better for the wholesaler, the grower, the retailer and the consumer.”

Making the move to lease warehouse space at Brisbane Markets was a big step for Ms McCosker and having a cool room provides her with more options in her business. “We have refrigerated vans and use the cool room while we are getting ready to do the morning deliveries,” Ms McCosker said. “Even though I have space to store produce now, I still prefer not to buy too much stock in advance, however, I now have the ability to ripen bananas, tomatoes and avocados if it proves more cost effective.”

For Mr Sutton, maintaining the cold chain is a given, especially when there’s a mountain of evidence that shows that it provides a better end product for customers. “We’ve seen the benefits of it the whole time that we’ve been operating and the technology keeps getting better. We only use transport companies that can offer the full end-to-end cold chain capabilities,” Mr Sutton said. “More people are getting across the idea of maintaining cold chain from the earliest to the latest moment possible. It has filtered through to a retail level and now you see more ideas and changes occurring that really keep that freshness, extend the shelf life and give the consumer a better product in the end.”

This understanding of the importance of the cold chain is having an effect on the infrastructure at Brisbane Markets. “Most buildings on site are fitted with cool rooms, and even on the selling floor they are now an important fixture,” Mr Burns said.

Mr Sutton agrees, and said that Sutton Fresh Direct is making changes to further ‘cold chain proof’ their selling floor tenancy. “We’re putting in new infrastructure to increase the amount of time that our product on display is maintained within that proper cold chain. There’s just no reason for the cold chain to be broken anymore,” Mr Sutton said.

Changing the markets for the better

Improvements in technology, infrastructure and business operations have changed the dynamics of the Brisbane Markets.

“I think everyone has really lifted their game over the past 20-odd years, markets businesses have become a lot more professional over time,” Mr Burns said. “Dealing with Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) has definitely changed for the better since moving away from state government ownership, and it has made a massive difference. BML is a lot more involved in projects on site and their board and management have very strong knowledge of building and understand the needs of the Brisbane Markets site and its community. “It is a pretty unique place to work and the people really do make it what it is. There are so many different nationalities, characters and people from all walks of life. I really enjoy working here and that’s probably the main reason I haven’t retired yet,” Mr Burns said. Mr Sutton said he was surprised at how quickly Brisbane Markets has changed over the past six years. “There’s been an enormous amount of change come through very rapidly. There are innovations that a lot of people wanted to implement years ago and, now the technology is available at a more realistic price point, uptake has increased,” Mr Sutton said.

“When there’s a lot of different businesses operating in a confined space, even though it’s a highly competitive environment. If there’s a better way to do something and the change is significantly beneficial, then everyone will get on board quite rapidly. When change occurs, it occurs quickly. “The Brisbane Markets site functions very well. BML has been really good with being progressive and Brismark is great in their operations and how they’ve adapted as systems have changed over time. On a whole, it’s a great place that is always interesting and constantly changing, and I think it’s going in the right direction.” Ms McCosker relishes the challenge and pressure that comes with- having to prove her abilities, and she has noticed changes in the way she is perceived in the markets. “When I first started, it was a very male dominated industry. It was also very generational, with many people following in their family’s footsteps,” Ms McCosker said. “Coming in as a very green, young female, it was an assault to the senses. Loud, chaotic, and a lot of people were very reserved to begin with. It took a few years to grind them down into taking me seriously. Now I’m like a piece of the furniture.”

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