Profile: Zoë Dichiera

Zoë Dichiera is the commercial manager of Borderland Farms, Sunraysia, and Borderland Queensland Farm. She is the Queensland delegate of the Australian Table Grape Association board, and the Lower Murray Water board for Sunraysia.

Zoë was introduced to farming through her husband Nelson, who she met while travelling Europe some years ago. They later returned to Mildura, where Nelson’s family farm was based, and after taking the reins on the family farm in 2007 they converted it to organic. Now, Zoë and Nelson, and their four children, are the largest Australian grower and packer of organic table grapes, with more than 100 acres of organic production.

How long have you and your family been involved in the table grape industry?

The Dichiera family has been farming in the Sunraysia area for over half a century. First with apricots, plums, citrus and dried sultanas, and then in the 1980s moving into table grapes. In 2007 Nelson and I took over the reins from Nelson's parents. To be honest, I really didn’t know anything about grapes except for seeing them in the supermarket. With Nelson’s guidance he taught me everything, from varieties, to pruning, all the way through to harvesting.

How did you become involved?

At first, I was keen to learn all about farming but as our farm grew so did my curiosity and interest in horticulture.

How have things changed over the years?

When we first took over, farming was still seen as a lifestyle rather than a business. That’s no longer the case. It doesn’t matter if you have 20 acres or 500, if you are a corporate entity or family owned and run, we’re all expected to abide by the same standards. We must all have a full understanding of legislations and business obligations (for example, ethical standards, quality assurance, policy and procedures, work health & safety).

Where do you see the industry going in 2023 and beyond?

Our industry is always evolving. Protecting our environment is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Let’s not assume that between the city and farmers there are different opinions over climate change. We as farmers are at the forefront and face the realities every year of shifting weather events. The future farmer is already reacting fast, because we need to protect our food source, which is very sensitive to these weather shifts. If we don’t protect our environment, soil and water supply, we have nothing – no product, no business, or legacy to pass on to our children.

What do you love about the industry?

The challenges. Although they are at times tough to take, especially when they’re out of your control – like weather events – it’s about how we overcome them and become not only a better person, but have a stronger business too. That’s what I love in our industry.

What are some career highlights/ moments you’re proud of?

Moving into organics and achieving life goals, which include seeing our grapes in the supermarkets, Woolworths, Coles and Harris Farms – the grapes that our children have seen us grow, pick, and pack.

Is there anything related to technology or innovation that you or your business would like to explore more?

There are many advances in farming technology – an exciting space, in particular, is traceability, which we are doing ourselves through spreadsheets. We love working with these new programs, but the next step will be integration. From customers to audits and our own data requirements, we’re still double-handling data. Although there are programs available, the cost for our business is too high or it’s not yet fully integrated.v

The Australian Table Grape Association, Dried Fruits Australia and Murray Valley Wingrowers Inc. and Agriculture Victoria are joining forces on regional issues and topics of interest and importance.

The Sunraysia viticulture industries established a Mallee Horticulture Technical Network to connect agronomic service providers and share regional industry issues, with the inaugural networking event held in June.