ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
63 JULY 2022
Issue
of affairs
Hort Connections 2022 Australia and New Zealand’s largest horticulture conference and trade show! Special General Meeting 2022
What does FareShare do and how can we help?
Interview with Grant Nichol from Flavorite 1
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
Contents 05
08
20
05 – Interview with Grant Nichol
10 – Hort Connections 2022
16 – What does FareShare do and how can we help?
We deep dive into the ins and outs of Flavorites relaunch & we also caught up with Grant to get the inside scoop.
Hort Connections 2022 was held in Brisbane once again at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, from June 6th to June 8th.
17 – A Better Choice for freshness!
06 – Market Crossword 09 – Presenting cheque to Debra
Published By:
14 – New faces at Fresh State 15 – Wordsearch
CEO: Jason Cooper jason@freshstate.com.au Editor/Advertising: Taylah Brown taylah@freshstate.com.au
W: freshstate.com.au P: (03) 9408 6627 2
Photography: Taylah Brown
18 – Special General Meeting We catch up with the board members to get an update on all things Fresh State
Design & Print:
Distribution: Fresh State of Affairs is produced by Fresh State Ltd. and is a free publication.
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
President’s Message
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20 – Around the market See what our members have to offer!
22 – Red Velvet Beetroot Pancakes 23– Calendar of events
Coming into the coldest months of the year, it’s time to warm up for the second half of the year. As Covid still lingers, we still fight our way through the winter mornings to do what we love. In the last few months, there has been a continuing of increased prices due to the weather and the after affects of the floods that are still affecting supply to this day. These weather conditions have and will continue to cause many problems, significantly impacting growers, transport, wholesalers, and finally, our community. While the pandemic has changed the way we trade and work, we stick together and help each other through these tough times by remaining resilient. The Hort Connections Trade Event took place in Brisbane in June. Hort Connections is a great way to network and build rapport with other members within the industry. Melbourne was finally back in action this year, after missing last year’s event due to lockdown restrictions, however, it was good to connect with people we had not seen in a long time. As the mornings grow colder, I hope you enjoy your read of our latest magazine while trying to stay warm.
Shane Schnitzler President Fresh State Ltd.
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ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
Be part of our journey, visit us at flavorite.com.au
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INTERVIEW
Grant Nichol Flavorite has undergone a lot of changes in the last 2 years with the merger of three flavorite businesses in 2020, securing Murphy and Tatura Fresh businesses during 2021, this was not the end. This got the business thinking and they saw a demand for change.
How did you get into the industry?
Further information can be found on their website. www.flavorite.com.au
What is the meaning behind the new tagline? ‘Flavour for life’
How long have you been at Flavorite? I started with Flavorite at the inception of “Flavorite Marketing” in May 2000.
What do you do at Flavorite? I manage our wholesale business in the Epping Market.
I started working in the family business 1986 wholesaling bananas… Our business has evolved to what it is now with 4th generation family members working alongside our dedicated team.
What was the reasoning behind the rebranding? With the merger of three Flavorite businesses in 2020 and the purchase of the Murphy and Tatura Fresh businesses in 2021, the timing was right to document what the Flavorite brand now stood for.
The updated company logo has a new iconic leaf shape with a hand at the bottom acting as the stem. This symbolises Flavorite’s technical growing expertise or “green thumb” which cares for the plant and grows flavoursome fresh produce. The team has also developed a new tagline “Flavour for life”, which provides a subtle nod to the company’s history of putting the flavour back into tomatoes, which was one of our companies’ earliest goals behind ‘Flavorite’s name’. We are committing to sustainably growing the most flavoursome and premium produce for generations to come!
Besides the produce you already stock, can we expect an expansion of your product portfolio? While the business is set to continue to expand, the plan will be to continue with our core lines and improve on supply while continuing to focus on producing quality produce for our customers.
What is your take on the relaunch of Flavorite? This is a very exciting time for Flavorite… I love the new brand and think it will unite all parts of our business and allow us to grow under a new fresh brand.
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ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
Crossword Puzzle
Market Crossword 1 2
3
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7
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9 10
11 12
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14 15
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17 18
DOWN
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1. Service for food safety 4. Hort Connections was held here in 2022 6. Comes in a pod 7. Who is at store 36 9. Worn by all 10. On the wall 13. Indian Squash 16. Apples, pears and blueberries are full of them 20. Lettuce variety
ACROSS
2. Produce of sugar cane ice for food safety 3. Fruit with Connections wasdigits held here in 2022
5. Type of transport in the market es in a pod 8. Comes in yellow, green, red and orange is at store 36 11. Entrance to the market n by all 12. Can be roasted, mashed or made into chips he wall an Squash 6 es, Pears and blueberries are full of
Across:
14. Queen fruit 2. ofProduce
of sugar cane 15. Monkeys love them 3. Fruit with digits
5. Type of transport in the market 8. Comes in yellow, green, red and oran 19. What else is sold in the market 11. Entrance to the market 12. Can be roasted, mashed or made int 14. Queen of fruit 15. Monkeys love them 17. Fruit that’s easy to peel 18. Type of kumquat
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
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ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
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ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
Presenting cheque to Debra Dom Dimattina from the Lions Club and Joe Amalfi Vice President of Fresh State presented Simone Baird, Debra Australia with a cheque for $76,000 from the Golf Day proceeds.
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Hort Connections 2022 Australia and New Zealand’s largest horticulture conference and trade show!!
This year the theme for Hort Connections was ‘Growing Together’, this signified the amazing strength and adaptation of the community within the industry post-covid. Brisbane Convention Centre were kind enough to host this year’s event again, from June 6th through to June 8th.
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To attain the theme of ‘growing together’, people within the industry need to consider the future of fresh produce. There would be a tremendous optimistic response, if the community within the industry took advantage of the popular food trends, including the increase in demand towards sustainable and healthy lifestyles.
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
Hort Connections is a great opportunity for members of the industry to create network connections, to build rapport and relationships with fellow members of the produce and floral community within the industry. This year the event ran as ‘normal’, as last year’s event Victorians couldn’t attend the event due to lockdown, taking the originality and tradition away from the annual event. Teams from all over Australia represented their state at their own stand, sharing a wealth of knowledge and experience to the public. Expanding on the event, stakeholders and members of the produce and floral community attended a ‘Gala Ball’ that runs every year. Everyone came together and celebrated many achievements attained by the best within the Australian horticulture industry.
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New faces at Fresh State
Welcome to Taylah Brown our new Marketing and Communications Officer.
Welcome to Tanya Jerabek our new Gas Station Attendant.
We give a warm welcome to Taylah Brown! She is our new Marketing and Communications Officer. Taylah has a background in hospitality and retail, she has also completed a bachelor’s degree of Business (Marketing and Business Management.) Taylah will be out and about in the market getting content for Fresh State social media and running all communications. Don’t forget to say hello and introduce yourself!
Tanya Jerabek has joined the Fresh State team as the new gas station attendant. Tanya has a background in aged care and she lives local to the markets. She joined the team on May 17th and is excited for her future at Fresh State. We hope you all welcome Tanya to the team and introduce yourselves over the coming weeks here at the Melbourne Market.
E: taylah@freshstate.com.au M: 0418 441 115
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E: tanya@freshstate.com.au
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
Wordsearch
WORDLIST
passionfruit
blueberry
watermelon
strawberry
banana
cucumber
capsicum
tomato
potato
apple
pawpaw
mango 15
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
What does FareShare do and how can we help? Essentially, FareShare is a charity that rescues food and transforms them into nutritious meals for people in tough circumstances. FareShare have refrigerated vans that operate in Victoria to collect surplus and donated food from locations such as supermarkets, wholesalers, manufacturers and farmers. With the partnership with Fresh State, the alliance allows for a stable flow of fresh produce for FareShare to collect. By continuously donated imperfect produce to FareShare the Fresh State and the Melbourne Market are directly helping to reduce waste and keep food in the mouths of people in need. The food collected is then converted into nutritious
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meals by chefs and volunteers every day in their Melbourne and Brisbane kitchens. All chefs and volunteers are supervised in well-equipped kitchens. To list a few of the meals offered, they offer; pasta, braises, soups, casseroles, tagines and curries. However, the Melbourne FareShare kitchen specialises in pastries such as the popular sausage rolls, quiches, vegetable rolls, and egg and bacon pies. Fresh State would like to thank and celebrate the generous wholesalers that have donated and continue to donate produce towards FareShare, allowing them to continue the incredible work they are doing. How can you help you ask? Get in contact with Fresh State or FareShare directly to make a positive impact today.
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
A Better Choice for freshness! A Better Choice (ABC) have launched a new campaign to win a holiday! With the last couple of years being uncertain and difficult for most, they have decided to help bring things back to normal. Your local Fruit and Veg shops working with ABC, have come together to acknowledge all the hard work and to say thank you! They are giving away $27,500 to Aussie Families so you can put your feet up and take that well deserved break.
What can be won? Every week there will be 5 winners from around Australia. Each weekly winner will collect 1 x $500 travel voucher. On the 3rd of August, one lucky person will win 1 x $2500 travel voucher.
How can you enter? Head to https://www.abetterchoice.com.au/ store-locator/ to find your local fruit and veg shop and scan the QR codes in-store seen on posters or entry pads, from there you answer a few simple questions and you’ll be in the running to win a prize! 1 entry = 10 chances to win. The winner will be chosen at random.
How will you find out if you win? We will grab a few contact details when you enter, therefore you’ll be contacted directly if you are the winner. Winners are also announced on social media across Fresh State and ABC. Be sure to follow both accounts to keep up to date. Stay tuned for the winner of the $2500 travel voucher on 3rd of August.
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Special General Meeting 2022 On Wednesday, 25th of May 2022, Fresh State held their Special General Meeting (SGM) at the Quest Hotel in Epping. The SGM covered all topics that impact Fresh State and its members and addressed all queries and concerns. Once again, it was a pleasure having the chance to have this meeting face-to-face. The day began with a delicious catered breakfast, warm coffee, and cold noses. We started with an update on FMA. The successful government grant was discussed and how it can benefit the members. This includes pricing transparency and accurate sales data nationally. We then touched on Hort Connections and how it allows members to connect and build rapport with growers. Fresh State then described its financial status as challenging, but optimistic for a good full year result. Gross income from investment has also been encouraging with a big contributor being our shareholding in the Brisbane Market. The Melbourne Markets Credit Service (MMCS) has invested time and money into the new CRS system. This system will provide benefits such as being extra secure, having audit accessible transactions/events, and providing an easy to use portal. Issues in the market were then addressed, we touched on ordering and payment platforms, The Hort Code of Conduct, Rent increase, Market Culture, Market Hours, and Data Fresh price reporting. All issues were reviewed with
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importance and were discussed in great length, ensuring that everyone is aware of them and how they impact the members. Grant Nichol discussed the importance of contributing to FareShare and how Fresh State support the organisation and the growth of their charity. FareShare is an amazing charity that can turn older donated produce, into a meal within 24hrs and they pass it on to the people who are doing it tough. Market Purchase within the industry was next considered, with an update to members on the progress of the privatisation project. The final thing we touched on, was the traffic management around the market, this was brought up in general business. There are big plans in place at the market, for Fresh State and for our members. If you missed the meeting or would like to discuss the topics further, please contact Jason Cooper, CEO of Fresh State, jason@freshstate.com.au.
ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
Become a MMCS user for Security
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Become a Member Today! Contact carolyn@freshstate.com.au Store 36, Melbourne Market, 35 Produce Drive, Epping, VIC 3076 | T: 03 9408 6627 | F: 03 8405 3746
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Around the market
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Ingredients PANCAKES ¡ 2 small beetroots ¡ 200g plain flour ¡ 1 tsp baking powder ¡ 2 eggs ¡ 2-3 tbsp honey ¡ 1 tsp vanilla extract ¡ 1 cup milk
DRIZZLE ¡ 2 tbsp cream cheese ¡ 1tbsp yoghurt ¡ 1 tbsp milk ¡ ¼ tsp vanilla ¡ Coconut flakes, to garnish
Red Velvet Beetroot Pancakes Save this recipe for a delicious, healthy, weekend breakfast for you and the kids to look forward to and can you believe these Red velvet pancakes are made with no artificial colourings? Just fresh beetroot! Plus it’s a fun way to sneak in some extra vegetables in your day!
Method 1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Peel two small beetroots and chop them into
chunks. Place them onto a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. TIP: Check the beetroot a couple of times and add water where needed so they don’t dry out.
2. Add flour and baking powder into a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix
together eggs, honey, and vanilla extract.
3. Once the beetroot is cooked through, place them into a blender. Add in
milk and blitz until you have a puree consistency. Add the puree to the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
4. Add this mixture to the flour and baking powder. Mix with a whisk until
you have a pancake batter consistency.
5. Melt butter in a frying pan over low heat. Add some of the batter and cook
for 2-3 minutes on either side.
6. Add cream cheese, yoghurt, milk, and vanilla extract to make the drizzle.
Drizzle on top of pancakes and top with coconut flakes.
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Calendar of Events Melbourne Markets 7th Birthday Wednesday, 31st August
AFL Grand Final Holiday Friday, 23rd September Market closed
New events and times will be communicated in the near future. Thank you to all who have supported our events over the past couple of years. We hope you are staying healthy and safe, if you have any questions about events, please email taylah@freshstate.com.au.
Disclaimer Fresh State Ltd makes this magazine available on the understanding the users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. Before relying on, or altering any business practices, users should carefully evaluate the accuracy, completeness and relevance of the information for their purpose and should obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to their particular circumstances. This magazine contains views and recommendations that do not necessarily reflect the views of Fresh State Ltd. Fresh State does not in any circumstances accept responsibility for the accuracy or suitability or otherwise of any information published in Fresh State of Affairs. Fresh State Ltd specifically disclaims all and any liability for loss or damage of any nature whatsoever and however arising, whether due to accuracy, error or omission or any other cause.
In addition, by using the information in this magazine, each user waives and releases Fresh State, its staff and agents from any and all claims relating to the use of this document. In no event shall Fresh State Ltd be liable for any consequential damages resulting from using the information in Fresh State of Affairs. © Fresh State Ltd 2022 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior permission from Fresh State Ltd. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to: The Editor Fresh State of Affairs Magazine Store 36, Melbourne Market 35 Produce Drive, Epping, VIC 3076
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ISSUE 63 — JULY 2022
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