Sunshine Coast Fine Food heads to Melbourne
Image courtesy of Food & Agribusiness Network

Sunshine Coast Fine Food heads to Melbourne

Sometimes all it takes for a small business to really gain some traction is a helping hand. For our local artisan food businesses this comes in many forms, but perhaps the icing on the cake is being accepted as part of a delegation that heads interstate for the annual Fine Food Australia exhibition.

Fine Food Australia is the country’s leading trade exhibition for the food service, hospitality and retail industries. This year it will be held in Melbourne from 10-13 September, attracting more than 1,000 exhibitors and 26,000 visitors.

In 2017, Sunshine Coast Council in partnership with the Food & Agribusiness Network (FAN) supported 10 businesses from the Sunshine Coast to exhibit at Fine Food in Sydney, generating more than $750,000 in anticipated sales. If you're looking to expand your national or international market, Fine Food is a must on the tradeshow calendar.

According to Kim Durant from Gourmet Fudge Supplies, “Exhibiting at Fine Food Australia was a fantastic experience for our business. We made contact with some great potential customers and even received some orders while we were exhibiting. It is definitely something we would like to be a part of again.

“I loved that there were nine totally different Sunshine Coast businesses exhibiting that all supported each other. It was great fun and the orders have started coming in already so we couldn't be happier”.

Making it possible for our local food and agribusiness industry to be a part of this delegation, and gain exposure to broader markets, is the support they receive from FAN and the Sunshine Coast Council. General Manager of FAN, Emma Greenhatch said, “The opportunity for our local food businesses to be able to showcase their products in person to potential buyers cannot be underestimated.  Many of last year’s delegates have had opportunities that would not have otherwise existed without this exposure. It also keeps their products front of mind when future opportunities arise.”

This year’s delegation includes:

  •  The Wholefood Artisan - The Wholefood Artisan are creators of quality handcrafted granola for discerning foodies and time-poor professionals. They combine bold flavours and quality nutritious ingredients with finely tuned artisan techniques, reimagining what granolas can be. Their range of retail and food service ready products includes paleo, vegan and gluten free options.
  • Sunfresh Marketing Co-op - Sunshine Coast based Sunfresh will be showcasing their 100% natural ‘Avocado Smash’. Avocado Smash has no chemicals or preservatives added – perfect for hospitality industries, making fresh avocado available all year round. Australian grown and produced, Avocado Smash has a long shelf life, utilizing a unique process that is a world first, enabling broad distribution in Australia and overseas.
  • The Gluten Free Food Co - The Gluten Free Food Co products are a range of gluten free baking mixes, flour blends and pantry staples that are also free from nuts, dairy, eggs, soy, sesame and anything artificial. They recently launched a new range of vegan protein patty mixes and vegan Mac n Cheez, that have sold out across the country. They are now looking to export markets and increasing their product range.
  • Woombye Cheese Company - Award-winning handcrafted cheese made in one of this country’s most beautiful regions – the Sunshine Coast hinterland. Woombye Cheese are passionate about cheese and create and produce all their cheese by hand, using traditional methods. All their milk is sourced from small local farms at Maleny on the Sunshine Coast and is collected daily, pasteurised and then delivered to their factory in West Woombye.
  • Hum Honey – Hum Honey have a delicious range of Original and COLD FUSION® honeys that are sustainably harvested from hives in the pristine Sunshine Coast Hinterland using only natural beekeeping methods. Hum Honey bees free-range on their choice of subtropical rainforest and open forest hardwoods. All Hum Honey is raw and cold extracted, free of additives, preservatives, chemical residues and antibiotics, and is never heat-treated.
  • Green Valley Agriculture - Green Valley Agriculture grow quality Australian native ‘Champagne Red’ fingerlimes that are available all year round. They package the fingerlimes in 100g and 250g punnets, as well as 2kg boxes, which are distributed all over the world.
  • Champagne Red fingerlimes have low seeds, a red rind and the citrus pearls inside range from champagne colour through to a vibrant red. They are a great addition to seafood, deserts, drinks and salads, and can be infused into different products, such as honey, chocolate and gin for a unique flavour and Australian native twist.
  • Chocolate Country - Chocolate Country prides itself on being a high-quality chocolate producer. They exclusively use Belgian chocolate and source only the finest natural ingredients, using local products wherever possible, to create a delicious array of truffles, chocolate slabs and novelty gifts. Their chocolatiers work in-store to hand-create their extensive range of artisan chocolates in small batches to ensure freshness, producing unique products that both look and taste divine.
  • Montville Coffee - Montville Coffee roasts and produces award winning Specialty Coffee and Cold Brew concentrate. Their products are known for their exceptional quality and indulgent flavours, with the assurance that they are fully Organic and Fairtrade certified. Montville Coffee have twenty years’ experience serving the FMCG market in Queensland and nationally.
  • Mighty Bean Tempeh - Since 1981 Mighty Bean Tempeh has produced Australia’s finest quality Certified Organic Tempeh (ACO48P). They have developed a fermentation process which provides the most wonderfully nutritious and delicious cultured Soya bean food type called Tempeh (pronounced ‘Tempay’). Tempeh is a versatile, healthy and hearty addition to any meal.

Other local exhibitors also include The Country Chef Bakery Co who are a 100% Australian family owned business that creates some Australia’s favourite desserts and breads such as pavlova and banana bread and COYO who create innovative, naturally delicious, free from, coconut-based products, crafted using whole food ingredients. Both these outstanding businesses export all over the world and are Sunshine Coast success stories.

“Chefs, restaurateurs, airlines, hotels and many other end users are increasingly seeking food and beverage from our regions as it is very much a part of the local Australian experience people are seeking, and we are delighted the world is taking notice!” Ms Greenhatch said.

The team have been allocated a prime position in the Australia pavilion and I wish them every success as they tantalise the taste buds of buyers from all over the world with our first class produce.

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