Hort Connections: Industry Awards

Author: Kate Cook

Hort Connections always finishes with a bang: the 2019 National Awards for Excellence. This year the awards were held at Crown Palladium and it was great to see members of Fresh State and the Melbourne Market being recognised for their contributions to the industry.

Although the Australian horticultural industry is extensive and is spread across the entire country, it was great to see members of Fresh State and the Melbourne Market on the main stage at the Hort Connections National Awards for Excellence this year. This event is the showstopping finish to the convention each year, and with over 1400 delegates attending the dinner and many hotly contested awards to be given out, it was definitely a night you didn’t want to miss.

AUSVEG CEO James Whiteside commented that “everyone who was nominated for an award this year has demonstrated their passion and commitment to the industry and has made a valuable contribution to its ongoing growth and success. I’d like to congratulate every individual and business who won an award at this year’s National Awards for Excellence and thank them for their continued dedication to our industry”.

We were lucky enough to see two of our Melbourne Market members receive an award honouring them for their hard work over the years. The first was the Col Johnson Young Achievers’ Award, which was presented to Michael Granieri of Granieri’s Fresh Produce, and the second was the Meritorious Service Award which was presented to Brett Collins of Perfection Fresh. We would like to congratulate these two on this achievement and thank them for all they have contributed to the Melbourne Market.

Above: Michael Granieri from Granieri’s Fresh Produce and FMA Chairman Shane Schnitzler.

Above: Brett Collins from Perfection Fresh and FMA Chairman Shane Schnitzler.

Along with these winners there were also a number of nominees from businesses in our market community who deserve recognition, so congratulations to the following: Catherine Velisha from Velisha Farms who was nominated for the Syngenta Grower of the Year award and the Boomaroo Nurseries Women in Horticulture award, the Costa Avocado team from Costa Farms and Sona Padman from FreshMax for their nominations for the MOYA Marketer of the Year award, and Stephanie Corrigan from Corrigans Produce Farms who was nominated for the Corteva Agriscience Young Grower of the Year award and the Boomaroo Nurseries Women in Horticulture award. This recognition for our Melbourne Market users on a national level is something to be celebrated, and we look forward to seeing more familiar names and faces in the running for the 2020 National Awards for Excellence in Brisbane next year.