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Capogreco Farms:
Business Capogreco Farms Location Hamel Size 160 hectares Enterprises Rockmelons, honeydew melon, watermelon, broccoli & butternut pumpkin
Growers and suppliers of fresh quality produce, nationally and internationally Fresh quality will always find a market. From his family owned and operated farm business in Hamel, Dane Capogreco is closing a deal with one of New Zealand’s largest supermarket chains who want to drop their East Coast supplier and bring across his melons. On the heels of one of the worst bushfire disasters ever to impact the district, Dane is quietly confident — and grateful. “We lost fencing and a few machines in the Waroona bushfires, but we consider we were pretty fortunate in comparison,” he says softly. Capogreco Farms’ reputation for excellence outpaces the fires’ impact and Dane is practically back to business as usual, fielding new enquiries like this one which come in weekly.
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WA Grower SPRING 2016
“They saw our fruit in Perth and say the extra distance to New Zealand is no barrier whatsoever; they just want to offer their customers our B.J. Melons,” he says. Hamel, just off the South Western Highway between Waroona and Yarloop, is the perfect location for both growing and logistics. Just an hour south of Perth, transport, airfreight and shipping are easily arranged to Capogreco’s national and international markets.
Since the farms were established by the family in 1988, most of their direct customers can receive their fruit and vegetables within 24 hours of harvest. Capogreco is a business built for export and doesn’t just rely on great produce. Branding and marketing has played a significant role in their success. Their main export brand, B.J. Melons, is well established in markets in the Middle East and Asia where exposure at tradeshows has consistently supported and enhanced the farm’s quality offer.
Capogreco Farms is also accredited in three major food quality assurance systems, giving buyers and customers constant independent verification of on-farm environmental practices and sustainable production. “February, March and April are when we are in full swing,” explains Dane. And it’s not just the butternut, pumpkin, honeydew, watermelon, rockmelon and broccoli that are selling. Capogreco Farms has a fully equipped fabrication workshop which produces agricultural machinery for their own use as well as for other farms. Production evolved organically from the knowhow and expertise accumulated from almost 50 years’ experience in the industry. “We’re about to send a big harvester down to Manjimup that will do broccoli and cauliflowers, and we’ve just sent a slasher up to Queensland to a Bowen grower,” Dane says. Capogreco make plastic mulch equipment, harvesting and planting equipment, spray applicators and other machinery which