SPC tomato season successful

Last year the company’s tomato production was hampered by late rains which hindered the harvest. But seasonal conditions have improved this year and by last week (week 15) the company had dealt with about 80% of the expected harvest.
‘‘We are expecting about 43,000 tonnes for this season,’’ SPC manufacturing general manager Simon Taylor said. ‘‘We had early rains just before Christmas which affected plantings.’’ This is the third year the company has been running its new tomato line. ‘‘This year, with the team knowing exactly what it is doing, the asset bedded down, everything is aligned for a good season.’’
And sales are strong. ‘‘Last year we were short on tomatoes but this year we are at about equilibrium with demand,’’ Mr Taylor said. ‘‘So we are maximising our investment.’’

Australia: “Really positive prospects for SPC”
Twelve years after Coca-Cola Amatil outlaid almost AUD 700 million for SPC Ardmona, Australia's largest fruit and vegetable processor is finally turning the corner, pursuing growth in new export markets including China and new domestic channels such as pharmacy and direct-to-consumer.

At the end of January, SPC unveiled a major agreement with a Chinese distribution partner. SPC also exports fruit products into Japan, India and Indonesia with the support of Coca-Cola Amatil. In Australia, SPC is developing new routes to market for ProVital, a fruit-based product used in the health and aged care sectors.
In January, managing director Reg Weine said the company, after completing its AUD 100 million (USD 77 million) three-year investment program late last year, plans to build a new pouch packaging line this year and upgrade peach processing capabilities.
Mr Weine, who took the helm two and half years ago, explained that the prospects for SPC looked really positive. "The focus when I arrived was […] very much on the domestic business, maintaining the business we had and right-sizing and driving some costs out of the business. […] Now we're at a point where we can get back on the front foot and start expanding again."
While the domestic market remains "brutal", SPC is now growing sales and market share in three of its four categories – packaged fruit, tomatoes and baked beans and spaghetti. "Trading conditions remain very difficult on the domestic front but I think the long-term prospects for SPC look very positive," he said.

Mr Weine is also aiming to reduce SPC's reliance on the Australian grocery sector by lifting export sales from around 20 per cent of total sales to 30 or 40 per cent within a few years.

Source : afr.com, countrynews.com.au