Brett Guthrey, President of Persimmons Australia, says the domestic market for persimmons increases each year as more and more people become aware of the fruit and try it.
"It is definitely growing, for sure. I think what is driving it is a greater acceptance of persimmons," he said. "We’re seeing some of the bigger supermarkets starting to stock persimmons and market them as a mainstream fruit, which is definitely a driving force in their demand. I meet a lot of people who haven’t ever tried a persimmon before. That’s a big challenge – just getting people to try the fruit. But once they do, they’re repeat customers. I’d love to see more ways to educate people about persimmons, encouraging them to try one of our country’s most unusual fruits, and inspiring them to use them at home."
Photo source: Persimmons Australia
Mr Guthrey, who also owns an orchard, Kathleen Haven in Sydney’s south, says he would also really love to see persimmons more in the food service industry.
"If persimmons make their way onto restaurant menus it would increase the profile hugely,” Mr Guthrey said. “I know a lot of chefs love to use seasonal produce, so if persimmons were on their radar it would really throw them into the public eye."
The 2018 Queensland season is nearly coming to an end, but some of the southern areas in New South Wales and northern Victoria are starting now, and the Sydney basin will commence in the next couple of weeks.
Photo source: Persimmons Australia
On a national level, supply is pretty much on par with last year in terms of quantities, but in the coming years the industry expects even more fruit on the market as younger trees in the southern states start maturing.
"Our industry here in Australia is relatively small compared to the worldwide industry," Mr Guthrey said. "But we are expanding. We currently have 120 growers who collectively produce around 2500 tonnes of persimmons a year. Given the current demand for young trees out of nurseries, I wouldn’t be surprised if that increased in the coming years. It’s an exciting time for persimmons and the growers, with demand mostly outweighing supply."
Photo source: Persimmons Australia
Persimmons Australia says while the very hot and dry conditions this summer were a bit of a challenge, it hasn’t affected yield, although the fruit may seem smaller in size than last year. But a bonus of this hot weather does mean a much sweeter crop.
"On our orchard, we’re expecting similar yields to last year," he said. "The hot and dry summer was a bit of a challenge, and we’re expecting the fruit to be a little bit smaller because of that. But on the upside, the taste will be much sweeter."
Mr Guthrey's grandfather started the orchard in 1958, originally growing a range of vegetables, and then stonefruit. Brett recalls that he loved trialling new things as they came to Australia, like pomegranates, figs and, eventually, persimmons, and over the years they saw the demand for this unusual fruit increase, and now their orchard grows solely persimmons.
"We grow both the original and sweet varieties," he said. "Throughout the industry, 95 per cent of production is of the sweet type, with the main varieties being Jiro and Fuyu. The main variety of original persimmon is Hachiya. It’s really exciting to see both varieties becoming more readily available in-store with each passing year. My orchard supplies Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Whilst Sydney is the biggest market, they are all increasing. We don’t export the fruit from our orchard, but as an industry I do expect export to be on the increase in coming years."
Photo source: Persimmons Australia
Currently, 95 per cent of exports of persimmons go to Asia, and Mr Guthrey is aware of increasingly good opportunities in the Middle East, which he hopes will provide a major opportunity for the industry in coming years.
For more information:
Persimmons Australia
Phone: +61 7 4637 9925
www.persimmonsaustralia.com.au