An Australian fresh produce company is helping tackle food waste by ensuring produce that may be discarded by the major supermarkets and retailers finds its way to the plates of consumers.
Farmers Pick Co-founder Josh Brooks-Duncan says the company has the model of working directly with farms and growers and then home delivering them to customers directly on a regular basis, cutting out steps in the supply chain. Around 85-90 per cent of the supply is sourced directly from farms and growers.
"We work with farms across Australia to find an alternate channel to sell imperfect produce that the major supermarkets won't take because of their specifications," Mr Brooks-Duncan said. "The reasons for it being rejected can vary, and sometimes you can look at it and not even know why it was knocked back. Usually, it's because it has a blemish or it is out of size requirements for supermarkets. For example, in recent weeks we had cauliflower that had some yellowing on the leaf and the supermarkets knocked those out. We have also had some asparagus that was slightly bent over due to the strong winds in Melbourne so we have been using that lately too."
Farmers Pick uses the home delivery model, mainly on the east coast in regions from Rockhampton in Queensland right down to Melbourne. Mr Brooks-Duncan says there has definitely been an increase in demand for this service.
"That's one of the great things about our box is that it is a surprise for our customers when the box turns up. We put staple lines such as onions, potatoes, bananas, apples and carrots - and after that, we alternate seasonally and work with farming partners about what has been rejected. It may not always be produce that's rejected, there may be an oversupply of it as well. I think there are a few reasons for the popularity of our model and the way we work, we shorten the supply chain a little bit and it reduces cost, which we can pass on to our customers. So, in most cases, they can get a saving of up to 30 per cent compared to the supermarkets."
Photo: Farmers Pick founders Josh Ball and Josh Brooks-Duncan
He added that another area of positive feedback that Farmers Pick receives is around sustainability; as growing food takes a lot of resources and having food going to waste has a big impact on climate change. One of the company's founding aims was to help people feel that they were having a tangible impact on these global issues.
"People put solar panels on their roof and reduce their energy consumption and save on their bills, but you don't feel that you are having an impact," he said. "Whereas when customers get their box, it has anywhere from 6-15kg of produce that would have been wasted if we hadn't packed it up and sent it to them. Customers love our service and we are seeing an increase in sales and growth."
Mr Brooks-Duncan says an advantage of the company's model is that it is flexible from week to week depending on growing conditions and whether there may be an uptick in supply numbers at their partner farms due to an unforeseen event.
"At the moment we are heavily into the Queensland season and that's got another couple of months, and as that swaps, we have our Victorian season," he said. "We pretty much talk to our partners to find out what they have for the following week and then we place orders based on that. We also have scenarios where they have sent stock to a supermarket and it gets knocked back or rejected. Then they will ring us and that stock will get dropped at our warehouse and used in our boxes. So, if they (growers) can see that they have had warmer weather one week and it has created a flush in say Bok choy that they need help moving, we can include that in our boxes as well."
One item that has become commonly used in fresh produce boxes in recent years has been avocados, which Farmers Pick has noticed that production is up as much as 20 per cent, but due to cosmetic reasons, like marks on the skin, hundreds of tonnes of the produce is being dumped and not reaching the consumer, despite little being wrong with the actual eating quality.
"There has been a really large planting throughout Australia over the past 5-10 years," Mr Brooks-Duncan said. "But it does come in waves, in recent weeks there has actually been a shortage. But the fruit that we were getting had scarring on the skin and ones that were misshapen and we were getting around 4-5 tonnes a week. But that stuff would not have been picked or dumped back into the paddock depending on how the market was at the time."
Earlier this year the Fruit & Vegetable Consortium told Hort Connections that consumers are only eating 2.4 serves (75g per serve) per day, with the recommended target being five servings per day. By providing more produce - that would otherwise have been wasted - to consumers in an affordable way, Farmers Pick has an opportunity to assist bridge this gap with the 'imperfect' fruit and veg.
"The consumption figures are concerning," Mr Brooks-Duncan said. "Over time there has been a disconnection of where food comes from and where it is grown. That's why it's great what we are doing in telling stories and giving a bit of insight into the industry and how it works. We are connecting our customers back to where their food comes from and that food from the ground is what we should be eating and consuming. We are even seeing some of the families who get our box sharing the experience with their kids who are getting excited by what we are sending, which is great."
For more information:
Josh Brooks-Duncan
Farmers Pick
Phone: 1300 895 202
[email protected]
www.farmerspick.com.au