SPC has completed the first season of tomato processing at its $36 million new plant in Shepparton, Victoria and has launched a campaign supporting Australian-grown tomatoes.
The new campaign is filmed in and around Rochester in Victoria’s ‘Fruit Bowl’, and reflects SPC’s paddock-to-plate commitment to Australian growers and farmers.
“We’re encouraging all Australian shoppers to buy home-grown – by choosing our great-tasting, superior-quality tomatoes over cheaper imports – in a heartfelt campaign for our Ardmona brand,” SPC Ardmona Managing Director Reg Weine said. “The new campaign features Aussie tomato growers and their families, set to the lyrics of Advance Australia Fair.”
Twenty years ago, he said, there were 100 tomato growers in Australia, but now there were only 12. He added that SPC’s return to direct farm supply was aimed at promoting a sustainable industry in the Goulburn Valley.
“We’re proud to be selling our growers’ tomatoes right across Australia,” Mr Weine said. “With SPC moving back into direct farm supply, and by paying our growers a fair price, tomato growers have slowly started to come back into the industry.”
The new tomato-processing line for Ardmona is the second major project in SPC’s $100 million investment program, with 100 per cent Australian tomatoes coming off the line.