| |
|
Karel Fehr AAIPP
business promotions
Portraits
tuition available in groups or
private.
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
A Queensland farmer has created a red hot business by growing chillies as well as sugar. |
|
|
Hot Stuff |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Diversifying by growing both sugar and chillies has paid off for second-generation Queensland cane farmer David de Paoli, with his company Austchilli experiencing massive growth since he started nine years ago.
Today Austchilli has a range of fresh chillies and more than 30 pureed products, which are destined for manufacturers supplying retail shops, supermarkets and the catering trade in Australia and 15 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. It is one of the first Australian companies to export value-added chilli and herb products.
The company, which is based in Bundaberg, employs around 40 people full-time, but this number can swell to more than 100 in peak seasonal periods.
According to David, the idea to start the business came about after conducting some research into alternative crops that could be grown all year round in the Bundaberg climate. “I was also keen to create a market situation where I could have greater input into the business’s outcomes and profitability,” he says. “The time had come to be a price maker, not a price taker.”
Austchilli spent four years finding the right sort of plant for the Bundaberg region and, through careful crop management, chillies are now being produced all year round.
The fresh produce is hand-picked and packed, while the puree products are machine harvested. The harvester is able to strip the chillies without ripping the bush out, which is one of the key features of successful mass production.
Innovation has been a key to the company’s success, says David. “Beyond our fresh market chilli program, which regularly supplies fresh market agents as well as Coles and Woolworths, we also have developed a range of shelf-stable ingredient purees used by multinational manufacturers the world over.”
Australia Post plays an important role in making sure Austchilli’s pureed chilli and herb samples are delivered to domestic and international customers. |
|
|
|
The pre-paid Express Post satchels are used to send these samples around Australia while Express Courier Inter-national is used to send them overseas.
“Both services are easy to use and reliable,” says David. “The staff at our local post office in Bundaberg are very knowledgeable and always willing to make sure our deliveries are carried out as smoothly as possible.”
And with potential export orders growing, Austchilli is expecting to reach new markets. “We’ve already sent samples through Express Courier International to places like Poland, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Russia and Canada, so we are confident that the service can pretty much get us to wherever people want to add spice to their recipes with our chilli and herb ingredients,” he says.
For more information visit www.austchilli.com.au
Austchilli uses:
Express Post and Express Courier International.
Reasons for using Australia Post:
Easy to use and reliable.
| |
|
|
|
|
|
