Premier Fresh Australia Newsletter – Spring 2022 Edition

Message from the Group CEO

Well, it’s a new era and I am excited to have shared with you that LaManna Premier Group in 2022, is rebranding to Premier Fresh Australia.

The rebrand over the last few months has started building momentum, and we are now seeing physical changes, including uniforms and signage upgrades in the coming months.

As we come out of the winter period and head into the important spring growing season, our banana farming operations continue in full production and we look forward to new season Lancaster greenhouse grown gourmet tomatoes in October.

I recently joined a team from Premier and MG in Holland and Germany to investigate the latest in technology for greenhouses, bio-mass heating, automation and packing systems. The research undertaken will assist our decision making as we plan our next stages.

Premier continues to invest in our talent pipeline. As part of our Growing You Development Program, the HR team has launched a new ‘Sales Academy’ Program, aimed at growing and engaging the next generation of talent who will continue to lead the sales success of Premier’s Trading division. I am excited to witness the contribution the program will have in creating an adaptive, responsive and future ready workforce.

In other news, we recently farewelled our Chairman Brian Gargiulo, who retired from the Board after 19 years of dedicated service. Brian leaves an important legacy of investment in people and growth, which we are determined to continue. At the same time we congratulated Peter Hendry following his election as our new Chairman of Premier Fresh Australia.

I take this opportunity to thank each and every employee for your hard work and dedication to our company.

As always, I look forward to working with each of the teams to achieve our business goals and lead the company as we enter this new era as Premier Fresh Australia together.

Group CEO Premier Fresh Australia

News & Events

It’s a New Era...

As part of our evolution and continued growth strategy, in 2022 LaManna Premier Group (LPG) is rebranding to become ‘Premier Fresh Australia’.

From LPG’s early beginnings of glasshouse vegetable farming along the Murray River and banana ripening and marketing operations, we have evolved into the vertically integrated supply chain company we are today.

As we enter the new era of Premier, we will continue our mission of ‘Growing Together’.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why the name change?

As we continue to evolve with the changing needs of our customers, we felt it was time to reflect and review our brand and the strength this delivers in supporting our strategy and direction. With this came the development of a new name ‘Premier Fresh Australia’.

The reasoning behind the name change includes:

• Reflecting a new Era

• ‘Premier’ reflects our history and is a strong word which signifies ‘leadership’ and our position in the market

• The colours of green represent ‘fresh’ ‘produce’ and ‘quality’, which works alongside the charcoal

• ‘Australia’ reflecting our national presence and profile

• Remove any confusion with unrelated businesses including ‘LaManna’

What does the brand represent?

An extensive process was conducted to create a new name and logo, which reflects our industry. The refresh signals an important step for the business by reaffirming our connection to the Market Gardeners Ltd Group, by sharing a similar look and feel. This refresh helps capture the trans-Tasman story.

For any enquiries, please contact Hannah Stack – Hannah.stack@premierfresh.com.au

Kiwi Season still in full swing!

Premier Fresh Australia, teamed up with NutriKiwi to celebrate the opening of Sacca’s Fine Foods at Broadmeadows.

Second-generation owners and brothers Carlos and Wally have created a shopping experience like no other, complete with in-house gelato, donuts and a full-size café! The opening was a great success and Mr Kiwi was present, making friends with kids and adults alike.

Global Food Forum Group 2022

Premier Fresh Australia’s Group CEO, Anthony Di Pietro took part in a panel discussion on Australia’s horticultural sector as part of the Australian Global Food Forum, hosted in Melbourne on Wednesday, June 1st. The panel discussed critical issues facing the horticultural sector today – such as labour shortages, competition for skilled talent, the rising cost of farm inputs, and extreme weather events.

Premier celebrates The Biggest Morning Tea Nationally

Over the month of June, Premier sites nationally celebrated The Cancer Councils Biggest Morning Tea. Nationally we raised over $830. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated.

Lancaster

i FarmsLancaster Farms is an 81-hectare farm property located in the Goulburn Valley Region, Victoria.

Far from hibernating, the team is thrown into a flurry of activity, with July set aside for cleaning and maintenance before the start of the new season in August.

Last year we replaced half of the covering over our greenhouse to maximise sunlight exposure. This July we replaced the second half, giving the plants a whole new roof over their heads and setting us up for a great season ahead.

On August 1st, our new crop of tomato plants started coming in thick and fast from South Australia, where they are raised in a nursery. Within four days all plants had been rehomed and clipped into the fertigation system.

From this point, the plants grow about a foot per week, producing about one truss per week. These transform from flowers into ripe red fruits ready for harvest, which will run continuously from early October to late June.

Keep an eye out on our social media for Lancaster Farms updates.

They had a fantastic time and under the supervision of Steve Morice (General Manager Farming & Operations), the group had the opportunity to try Banana Humping for the first time! Day!

Steven Sercia (Category Coordinator), Patrick Marzano (General Manager Bananas) and Natasha Rus (Category Manager) visited ABC/ IBFC earlier this month.

Darwin Fruit Farms

Spanning a huge 369-hectares, DFF is located in Humpty Doo, Northern Territory.

The climate up in Darwin differs somewhat from Queensland, with a shorter winter that only lasts a week or two. This results in better fruit volume and bloom, with a far less pronounced dull season, and means that volumes will pick up a lot more quickly, getting busier a lot earlier.

On-farm processes are continuing as normal. Field work is underway and banana bunches are being bagged to prevent damage caused by external fac tors like pests and leafrub. Other farms in the area have been keeping their water and fertiliser input levels low, but at our farms we have maintained levels throughout the year, endeavouring to achieve the best product possible.

IBFC spans over 135-hectares of Cavendish banana crops while ABC is LPG’s banana packing facility, both located in Innisfail, Queensland.

The cooler weather over winter leads to a drop in volumes at ABC and IBFC in far north Queensland. The slow-down in fruit production gifted us time to catch up on some of the maintenance jobs that was required in the shed and paddocks. We made the most of it, getting as much done as possible and preparing us well for the new season.

Irrigation lines were checked prior to the start of fertigation. The banana plants have all been desuckered and deleafed, and bells have started to pop out. Meanwhile, other paddocks are being prepared for planting in September. Fertiliser has been spread and soil and leaf tests conducted. The results of these will determine whether we need to make changes to our fertigation program.

Warmer weather in far north Queensland over the next couple of months will bring improved quality and the end of the dull fruit season, with banana bloom returning to its usual vibrancy after a particularly long and cold winter.

ABC & IBFC Australian Banana Company, Innisfail Banana Farming Company.

DFF

IBFC

Commercial Update

Bothkamp Australia

Bothkamp Australia Farm is an 1100-hectare farm located in the Ord River Irrigation Area of Kununurra, Western Australia. Here, husband-and-wife team Christian and Valeria Bloecker grow top-quality pumpkins and melons alongside chickpeas, borlotti beans and other broadacre crops. Family-owned and operated, Bothkamp Australia Farm has been providing Premier Fresh Australia with premium fruit and vegetables since day one, way back in 1985. Nestled at the eastern edge of the Kimberley, Kununurra is one of Australia’s most fertile agricultural areas, with a warm climate, continuous access to quality flood irrigation water and rich fertile soils making it the perfect place to grow melons and pumpkins. Bothkamp’s harvest season runs from May through to November, providing us with Kent and Butternut pumpkin and a variety of melons, including Rockmelons, White and Golden Honeydews, Orange Candy and the exotic Piel de Sapo.

Bothkamp and Premier share a focus on building respectful, loyal relationships and working with likeminded people who value family, honesty and integrity, which has paved the way for nearly four decades of fruitful cooperation between us. We look forward to many more decades to come!

Soft vegetable supply

Consumers love delicious, ripe, Australian-grown produce, all year round. To meet that demand, supply cycles through different growing regions across the country at different times of the year. This year, two significant rain events in Queensland, in combination with unusually cold overnight temperatures, have resulted in an overall industry shortage in tomatoes, capsicums, zucchinis melons and pumpkins coming out of those crucial growing regions in north and southeast Queensland. As we head into the longer, warmer days that spring brings, and in the absence of more cold weather, rain and wind, both supply and quality should continue to improve. In other exciting news, Premier’s partner grower Le Fresh Hydroponics are increasing their green house production of cucumbers. Premier will be the exclusive marketer to supermarkets of these, as well as zucchinis from Shepparton grower Natural Earth.

StevenSkruzny

Commercial

Hahndorf Fruit & Vegetable Market

In the picturesque Adelaide Hills region of South Australia, you’ll find the little town of Hahndorf –both a thriving town with a growing population and a tourist haven, renowned for its German architecture, delightful shopping and good food.

But good food requires good produce, and that’s where the Hahndorf Fruit & Vegetable Market comes in! After exchanging Italian hills for Adelaide ones, Italian couple Pellegrino and Maria Palma settled down in South Australia. Here they opened their first produce shop in 1979, beginning a long and fruitful (pun intended) partnership with Premier Fresh Australia that continues to this day.

The Hahndorf Fruit & Vegetable Market has grown and grown, with the next generation turning the shop into a mecca for quality ingredients and local produce. And Premier is still right there with them, supplying premium bananas, avocados, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and more. Drop in to see Pellegrino, Maria and the rest of the Palma family for a shopping experience like no other, or bring the Hahndorf Fruit & Vegetable Market to your doorstep with home delivery in the Adelaide Hills region.

Citrus

It’s been a challenging year for citrus – especially oranges – with heavy rains throughout the early part of the season affecting the southern growing regions in particular. The impact will be felt for the remainder of the harvest season, which normally runs until November. This year, however, issues with quality as a result of the bad weather will likely bring the domestic season to a close, slightly earlier than usual, with the import season expected to start in December. Quality issues have also caused a reduction in citrus into export markets, leading to an oversupply of fruit on the domestic market.

Mandarins have fared better, with fruit quality remaining quite good. Winter brings the northern-grown Murcott variety into season from May to September, followed by southerngrown Afourer from July to November. Lemons are also in good supply, with the season expected to continue as normal – tightening up a little towards the end of the year before bouncing back in January. Limes are grown year-round in Australia, with the 12-month domestic supply punctuated by peaks and troughs. Though slightly short at the moment, the spring flush should bring us back up, with another flush expected to follow in January.

FrankFrappa

Stone Fruit Grapes

Spring brings the start of the stone fruit season, which runs from November through to April. Growing conditions are currently favourable, with the trees displaying good early flowering that has come 7-10 days earlier than last year. Stone fruit are one of the most challenging to grow due to the wide array of varieties, regions and growing schedules. Orchards located just 20km apart can differ in the timing of their fruit development. This results in a continuous supply of fruit throughout the season, and a longer supply period for certain varieties.

Grape vines are currently being pruned in preparation for the season ahead. The vines only come into leaf around September/October, with fruit developing in mid-late November and supply commencing in late December until June.

Holland Visit

The Premier and MG Team recently undertook a field tour of multiple greenhouse operations in Holland, Germany and Belgium. The tour showed a first-hand run through of the most efficient and sustainable growing and support systems, and allowed for time with numerous breeders reviewing variety options.

The tour included Premier and MG team members: Peter Hendry, Kerry Wells, Pierre Gargiulo, Anthony Di Pietro, Dean Gall, Mark LoGiudice. The Premier Team also spent time with our Netherlands based advisors Looijie Agro Technics (Mark Looijie) who arranged a meeting with Greenhouse operations across the trip. All of this first hand intel is a great help to current and future planning in our continued growth strategy.

Trading

B-a-n-a-n-a-s! Update

From late July to early August, even our grower partners in sunny Queensland start to feel the cold nights of winter. Though this has no impact on the flavour of the bananas grown there, the colour tends to be a little duller over this period.

Though significant bad weather events in Queensland have taken a huge toll on horticulture in the state, banana farming has fortunately remained unaffected and continues to hold the course of seasonal expectations. The cooler months bring a slight lull in supply as the banana plants take slightly longer to produce fruit. Growth rates should pick up from early September with the onset of spring. As warmer temperatures set in, the plants kick back into gear and we expect to see volumes increase consistently into the new year.

Joe Manariti

Metcash Expo

Premier Fresh Australia attended the 2022 Metcash Food Expo, which was held on the Gold Coast. Over the 3 days we had the opportunity to showcase our amazing Aussie bananas grown in Far North Queensland.

Photo:StevenSercia–CategoryCoordinator &NatashaRus–CategoryManager

Are you up to date with Premiers latest blogs?

To view our blogs keep an eye out on our website, social media and the company intranet.

https://premierfresh.com.au

Health, Safety & Wellbeing

Get your mind fit for work!

Premier’s Employee Assistance Program, MindFit at Work, is a great tool to assist you with both maintaining and improving your wellbeing.

We highly encourage our employees to utilise the readily available and free services provided by MindFit at Work, including;

• Confidential counselling sessions;

• Digital training;

• Wellbeing fact sheets and video; and

• Meditation phone ‘app’.

If you would like further information or require assistance accessing MindFit services, contact HRSupport@premierfresh.com.au or refer to your safety notice board.

Noticed a safety issue?

Premier is encouraging all workers to capture their safety observations and issues!

Premier’s Lunch & Learn series

As part of Premier’s Training & Competency schedule, we will be launching the ‘Lunch & Learn’ series for 2022/2023, a leadership program aimed at reinforcing core management skills whilst encouraging growth & learning.

Managers and Supervisors are invited to attend a 30–45-minute presentation each month focusing on a range of HR & WHS Topics.

Sessions will be held virtually by a representative from the HR & Payroll Compliance team, and active participation and collaboration will be encouraged.

Keep an eye out for the monthly schedule, there will 2-3 virtual session times available for you to attend.

Would you like to see more Mental health & Wellbeing initiatives in the workplace? We would love to hear your suggestions!

Please email HRSupport@premierfresh. com.au with initiatives you would be interested in participating in.

You will notice dedicated QR codes displayed across your site, inviting you to submit safety observations, hazards and near misses in real-time.

Reporting safety observations of any kind is an important preventative action that better equips yourself and the team to act quickly and resolve issues before a serious incident occurs. Let’s achieve best practice, go on… get reporting!

Don’t notice QR Codes displayed at your workplace? Contact HSW@premierfresh.com.au.

Quality & Technical Update

The last 3 months have been particularly challenging, as extremes of weather continue to challenge growing regions affecting quality and availability. The team continues to set a benchmark in communication of current and forward looking supply chain data and performance metrics that are shared across all stakeholders every week.

Many other ongoing initiatives continue to be provided including the support to Premiers farms, growers and customers across quality, compliance and ethical as well as numerous product development & innovation projects that assist to drive the Premier categories forward. Mark Benvenuto

Community Update

Annual Outback Car Trek

Premier Fresh Australia would like to thank and congratulate Gavin and Stephen Scurr on their ongoing commitment to the annual Outback Car Trek.

Premier is proud to play a small part in supporting Gavin and Stephen who volunteer their time and raise funds for The Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Since starting in 1990 this annual event has raised over $32,000,000 for the RFDS, who provide emergency medical and primary health care services to rural and remote communities in Australia.

Clontarf Academy Visit

ABC welcomed a group of young men from the Clontarf Academy in Trinity Beach, Cairns, to our packing facility in Innisfail Operations Manager Sam Coffrey took the young men on a tour of the site, during which they were able to get some hands-on experience in some areas of the picking and packing process.

This is the second visit we have had from the Clontarf Academy and the boys thoroughly enjoyed the tour.

HeartKids Hero Day event

Melbourne Market held a fantastic event for HeartKids foundation, which raised over $60,000, for children In need.

It was great to see so many children at the event having fun!

Photo:EGMTrading&Banana CategoryJoeManaritiand MelbourneTrading&SoftVeg ManagerRoccoManaritiwiththeir father Cosimo Manariti & Rocco’s twinboysGiuseppe&Cosimo.

In late July, Eric Field, Trading – Sales in Perth retired after 15 years of service. Thank you for your contribution to Premier, and we wish you all the best.

Four-metre long python skins are just another day at the office for the team at ABC, where spiders and snakes are practically colleagues.

Steve Morice, General Manager of ABC, is seen here modeling a number from the 2022 Fall/ Winter collection, found in the ceiling right over their heads.

Louise McDonald from Melbourne’s Payroll team welcomed a granddaughter – Lauren Cassandra McDonald was born on 8th August 2022 at 3.07pm, weighing 6.1 pounds. Congratulations, Louise!

Joe Manariti and his wife Federica welcomed a beautiful baby girl. Emma Manariti was born on the 7th June 2022.

Growing You Meet our new graduate!

Premier Fresh Australia is committed to the growth of our greatest asset: our people. Our “Growing You” Graduate Program offers tertiary-educated graduates the opportunity to gain a broad understanding of the produce industry through a two-year placement at Premier, during which they cycle through key business departments.

We’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new “Growing You” employee: Nikita Debrincat!

Dynamic Duothe at Market

We have two fresh faces on our Melbourne trading floor.

Tony and Nathan are the newest and youngest members of the Epping Market team. Since joining us at the start of August, these two have made a name for themselves through consistent hard work and commitment. They’ve been thrown in the deep end, taking on key categories and customers, but have risen to the challenge and we look forward to seeing bright futures at Premier unfold for them both!

Launching Premier Fresh Australia’s Growing You Sales Academy

Tony and Nathan are our first participants in the Premier Fresh Australia Growing You Sales Academy.

Premier Fresh Australia (Premier) is excited to announce the launch of our ‘Sales Academy’ Forming part of Premier’s enriching ‘Growing You’ initiative, the Sales Academy evolved from the need to grow and engage the next generation of talent who will continue to lead the sales success of Premier’s Trading division. The program aims to engage motivated participants by offering a hands-on development experience and the opportunity to be fully immersed in the Premier Trading division with the goal of becoming a high-performing and successful Salesperson.

A selection of value adding support components intertwined throughout the program, will support participants in building an allencompassing skillet by giving them different avenues and platforms to learn. We are excited to witness the variety of talent that will arise from the Sales Academy and the contribution the program will have in creating an adaptive, responsive and future ready workforce. TofindoutmorepleasereachouttoyourManagerorHR.

Nikita Debrincat

Gregory

Mark

Ian

Francesco

Laurence

Meet a Work Mate

Their friendly voices are familiar to us all, their smiling faces a sight for the sore eyes of Hyde Street staff and visitors alike, Donna and Cathy are the dynamic duo behind the Reception desk of Premier’s National Support Office in Melbourne.

Headsets on, these two have their impeccable phone manner at the ready, always poised to answer a call and no less willing to help any fellow employee with whatever office task is brought to them. Let’s find out a little more about these two charming women.

Cathy has been managing Reception for the last five and a half years, ensuring that the office and all its facilities are kept at their best for both employees and visitors. She also works closely with the company Group CEO’s Executive Assistant to coordinate and carry out the busy schedule of meetings and events taking place at Premier’s HQ. Greeting us with a smile in the morning and seeing us off at the day’s end, Cathy and her buoyant curls are an integral element of the office’s feng shui, which would be thrown out of balance without them. In her spare time, Cathy enjoys cooking and baking, dining out, going for long walks and being a mum to her four kids.

Donna has been with the company for just over a year, and already she’s become an indispensable part of the team – two teams, in fact: as well as holding the Reception fort on Wednesdays and Thursdays, Donna also provides essential assistance to the Accounts Payable team. Though she jokingly refers to her role as the ‘Mum’ Referee and Nagger in the kitchen, we all know Donna couldn’t be anything but lovely if she tried! Outside of work, Donna enjoys yoga, walking and reading, and always has a book recommendation to share. She also loves travelling and wants to visit as many places around the world as possible.

Like water powering a hydraulic engine, Donna and Cathy keep the company flowing smoothly – connecting calls between states, arranging deliveries across the country, ensuring the kitchen is always stocked with coffee, and much more. The Hyde Street office wouldn’t be complete without them!

Donna & Cathy