The 2019 Reverse Trade Mission culminated with the Taste Australia Fresh Produce Showcase, which once again was the capstone event for foreign buyers who participated in the week-long program. Growers from the vegetable, apple, onion, melon and banana industries showcased their products to important international buyers and significant business interest was generated as a result of the event. Shaun Lindhe reports.

The 2019 Taste Australia Fresh Produce Showcase was held on Monday 24 June, with 41 exporting vegetable and fruit growers displaying their fresh produce and value-added products to international buyers who participated on the Reverse Trade Mission (RTM).

Developed by AUSVEG and Hort Innovation and supported by Global Victoria, this year’s Taste Australia Fresh Produce Showcase benefited from the inclusion of businesses in the apple, onion, melon and banana industries.

The Showcase generated significant interest as a result of the involvement of a more diverse range of exhibitors, including 17 growers who participated in the Showcase for the first time.

“The Taste Australia Fresh Produce Showcase is a great platform for growers to meet directly with buyers who are interested in sourcing Australian product in the one location,” AUSVEG National Manager – Export Development Michael Coote said.

“Growers were also able to talk with other exporting businesses and learn from their peers about their successes and challenges, which will go a long way to build the exporting capabilities of growers in the industry and foster a collaborative exporting culture in Australian horticulture.”

The 2019 Taste Australia Fresh Produce Showcase paved the way for collaborative talks between Australian growers and international buyers.

A collaborative effort 

Hort Innovation General Manager for Marketing and Trade, Justine Coates, said the event was a strong example of the benefits of collaboration across the horticulture industry, and provided access to a broader range of horticultural produce for international buyers.

“The Taste Australia brand, and events such as the Fresh Produce Showcase delivered by AUSVEG through their reverse trade mission provide invaluable exposure for Australian producers in key export markets,” she said.

“These engagements with key stakeholders will become more important as we involve more buyers into the program to meet and conduct business with more growers across a broader cross-section of the Australian horticulture industry.”

Find out more

Further details about AUSVEG’s export activities can be found on the AUSVEG website.

The 2019 Taste Australia Fresh Produce Showcase is an initiative of the Vegetable Export Development Program and is funded by Hort Innovation using the vegetable research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

Participation from onion, melon and banana industries was supported by the onion, melon and banana research and development levies and contributions from the Australian Government. The event was also supported by Global Victoria, the Victorian Government’s Trade Unit.

Project Number: VG16061