In September 2025 VegNET Southern Queensland conducted a two-day study tour to get insight and knowledge of the supply chain. Participants of all ages thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the overall feedback was extremely positive. Lockyer Valley Growers Inc Committee members (volunteers) led the tour and want to also convey thank you to Hort Innovation levy payers and sponsors for allowing this tour to be the success it was. Looking forward to the next one.

VegNET Southern Queensland in September 2025 conducted a study tour with the support of industry, Lockyer Valley Growers Inc and sponsorship partners, which was a huge success. A welcome dinner was held with the aim to bring all the grower participants together to get to know one another and provide a final overview of the tour. It was great for the growers to meet one another in an informal setting and made everyone feel comfortable and a little more at ease for the first day of the tour.

The growers stayed overnight in the Trips Motel Gatton, before heading off at 5am. It may have seemed strange to be staying a local motel but the feedback from particip
ants confirmed the reasoning behind this aspect of the tour. The aim was to support local business, have real life knowledge of what is available to customers and industry visiting their businesses and to all be on-time, ready to board the bus early the following day.

With the early start, and an earlier breaky run to the local bakery for some breaky burgers for everyone, the group headed off to the Brisbane Markets. For most attendees this was their first visit and for others it had been some time since the last visit. The tour by Brismark was excellent. Brismark did a great job in answering questions and explaining the fundamentals and allowed growers time to chat to stall holders. The growers found it both interesting and insightful. Whilst for some it initially seemed chaotic, the market was remarkably well coordinated and the wholesaler displays of fresh quality produce were outstanding. It was exciting to see lots of different produce from Southern Queensland across the whole market. It reminds us of the strong connections our area has in this industry. Methods of packaging, other types of produce and chatting to agents that you do business with was also a valuable part of the tour.

Rivulus was the next stop on the tour to see the manufacturing of T-tape. The growers found this very interesting and enjoyed the insight into the full production and warehouse process. Although some participants don’t use t-tape, the tour was still very informative and engaging and seeing processes in place was also a valuable insight. For others who do use a lot of the product, seeing it being made and understanding the recycling process was very insightful. Overall it was valuable to gain an insight into growers the complex process of production, the testing procedures and an understanding of the high demand for the product.

After a pub lunch at a lovely old Queenslander Hotel we headed to the Visy facility at Hemmant Brisbane. What a privilege to tour such an amazing facility! That was the overwhelming feedback from participants. The size of the plant was epic and the technology used incredible. Most participants had never seen anything like this.

We were in awe watching and touring this very impressive facility, with robotic automation operating within showing that Visy is clearly at the forefront of technology, with systems that are highly streamlined and efficient.

When the tour was being organised, one of the LVG committee members made the suggestion to stay ‘somewhere nice’ in Brisbane to give everyone a great experience. So, with some great pricing and financial support secured (and this is where LVG and our sponsors shine), we all stayed at The Star in Brisbane and enjoyed a lovely dinner together. The observation deck was where everyone landed before heading out to dinner. Over the pre-dinner catchup, and dinner, participants enjoyed chatting about the day and sharing observations and thoughts, as well at talking to people about other things instead of just our businesses.

Our bus was ready to pick us all up early the next morning to head to the Woolworths DC at Larapinta. The experience of the sign in process to when we signed out was very impressive. The WW tour guides were very informative and answered a lot of questions. It was a great idea to allow us to meet the buying team before heading into the DC warehousing areas. It gave a greater understanding of how the DC works, provided insight into where our produce goes and how it is handled once received by the DC. It was impressive to see firsthand how products are efficiently stored and distributed on such a large scale. The level of organisation was smooth with streamlined operations throughout the facility. The fruit ripening area was also very interesting with most participants having not seen anything like that before. Overall it was an eye-opening visit and to see the size of the facility, the quantity of stock and the number of staff and forklifts on site, all to get our produce to their stores. For growers to be able to see this facility and get a further understanding was just so valuable. Some of our growers also got to see some of their stock there which was a highlight.

We had some time to visit some high-end retail stores before our final site visit. The pride some store owners take in displaying produce was to be commended. For one store, the owners were hands on, doing a fantastic job with cleanliness, display, quality and variety. The displays of fresh fruit and vegetables were beautiful, and it was good to see how much area is given to displaying the produce so well. Seeing the products on offer also gave a better understanding of what they think customers enjoy, also helping growers present our products in ways that make them more likely to be stocked.

Our final visit was to the XXXX brewery in Milton Brisbane. It was very interesting to hear about the systems in place to make the process as efficient as possible, while also being environmentally conscious. XXXX is definitely an icon and to be reminded of the important role it plays in Queensland history made for a really good tour. We were a little disappointed that the bottling line (with bottles supplied by Visy) had finished just minutes before we heading to that area of the tour, however it was still good for us to see and understand more about the supply chain. After a little taste test, we headed back to Gatton to finish our tour.

The participants on this tour ranged from business owners, manager and employees of all ages who are working in the businesses of growing vegetables and onions.

A big thank you to the hosts at all the sites we were able to see, to open their doors to us was just incredible and pretty special. The support of industry for this tour was outstanding and so appreciated. We will end this article with a summary of the tour given by one of our participants.

“Overall, the study tour was fantastic. Everything we did was relatable to our own business. We learnt so much from being able to see all the links in the supply chain and ultimately this will enable our businesses to improve and get stronger. There was the right amount of work and rest time. The site tours were timed perfectly – there was not time for boredom or a feeling of being rushed. Our rest breaks for lunches and dinners etc were really good as well. The meals we had were fantastic and it was nice to have a few minutes with the group to discuss what we have just seen and learnt. This tour was very informative and I feel that we will be able to apply different improvements and procedures that we have learnt through this tour to our own businesses. It is also important to mention the networking that we got to do with our fellow farmers/businesses. Networking is really important and we don’t get out a lot our here and sometimes it is hard to get out of your comfort zone and meet new people. Study tours like this are always worthwhile.”

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Please contact Lockyer Valley Growers on 0456 956 340 or email ido@lockyervalleygrowers.com.au