Profile: Jennie Franceschi, Fresh Produce Alliance
Finding a solution for “ugly produce” has spurned a new generation of farming for Fresh Produce Alliance (FPA). This company started from the simple dilemma of what to do with the vast amount of perfectly fresh and edible (but unmarketable) fruit and vegetables being discarded.
The group sought innovative technologies that could utilise this once discarded produce including a High Pressure Processing (HPP) machine and BOC Instant Quick Freeze (BOC IQF) machine.
Fresh Produce Alliance spokesperson Jennie Franceschi said not only did they want to find a solution for the amount of waste they had, but also create healthy, delicious food options for consumers and find greater export market opportunities that would ultimately provide a more sustainable future for farmers.
“Our mission is to champion a sustainable agricultural ecosystem for future generations by connecting responsible agricultural production with innovative technology to produce naturally healthy, delicious, real foods people love,” she said.
“Our delicious creations are available for both domestic and export markets along with supplying bulk fresh frozen and pre-packed fruit and vegetables to food service wholesalers.”
Operating in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector means you have to think outside the box to maintain profitability.
Fresh Produce Alliance created three value-add avenues to expand their business including Born Pure (baby food), Avovita (avocado products) and Truu (juices).
Their market focus for these products was to create healthy, preservative-free, additive-free and allergen-free vegan foods for both Australian and Asian export markets.
Using the HPP and BOC IQF machines allows Fresh Produce Alliance to use the “ugly produce” and deliver it in a way that provides a safe and healthy product for consumers.
“I believe HPP is the technology of the future because it maintains nutritional integrity, flavour and colour without the use of preservatives,” Jennie said.
“Having taken our products into Singapore, Dubai and Japan, I can say we have had some really great feedback and have many countries wanting to stock our products. We are currently going through the process of ticking off all the requirements for market access, so some work in labelling, custom clearance and approvals needs to happen. Once we have done all this, then I expect our products will be found in many Asian countries but to targeted high-end customers. We are not quite ready for mainstream Asia and we still need to sort their cool change management issues to work out where we will or won’t go.”
Jennie said the biggest barrier for their operation was the ability to invest in additional capital to scale up their operations. However, they are always prepared to collaborate across other industries and within their own.
“We collaborate with people to see if we can come up with industry solutions that are sustainable and mutually beneficial,” she said.
In the future, FPA will continue to build and develop products that can be exported and work with farmers to get better programmed supply.