ABOUT SUNNY RIDGE

History

The Sunny Ridge property was purchased by Pietro and Rosa Gallace in 1964. Originally an apple and cherry farming area, it wasn't until 1968 that strawberries were first grown.

One of the couple's sons, Mick fell in love with the fruit and in 1975 it had become the dominant crop on the farm, which is now run by Mick and his wife Anne.

Currently the largest strawberry producer in Australia, Sunny Ridge now spans 350 acres of land with properties in Main Ridge and Boneo. The property now grows strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and avocados.

Sunny Ridge's famous strawberries are sold all over Australia and have been exported to Singapore, Malaysia, the USA and Europe. They have been a feature at the Australian Motor Grand Prix and were even requested by the Queen!The success of Sunny Ridge can be attributed to our desire to provide the consumer with fruit that tastes as good as it looks - every time.

Pick Your Own strawberries officially started at Sunny Ridge in the 1980's. Eventually the concept became so popular that a tourist facility including café was built in 1997.

It is now a major regional Victoria tourist attraction with annual visitation of over 300 000. Travelers come from all over the globe to taste the sweet strawberries with Singapore being the most enthusiastic international market. There is also strong interest from Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and the USA.

Research and Development

Sunny Ridge is actively involved in the trial of new strawberry varieties and is a forerunner in adopting alternative farming practices/techniques from overseas.

The combination of Mornington Peninsula's maritime climate and the careful selection of strawberry varieties mean that Sunny Ridge grows some of the largest, sweetest strawberries in Australia!

The varieties trialed by Sunny Ridge are analysed for flavour, yield, sweetness, self-life, length of cropping, time of cropping, susceptibility to disease and more. The few that meet the strict criteria are then planted in trial beds in lots of around 10,000 plants. They are further assessed over a whole growing season and only then are they used on a large scale on the farm.

"We have traveled the world to source varieties that could grow in our environment and have probably grown 100 different varieties in over 30 years. Most of them have been discarded because they didn't meet our need for full flavour." Said Mick Gallace.

Sunny Ridge commercially grows about five varieties each season and planting is staggered to ensure that we have Sunny Ridge fresh strawberries available for at least 6 months of the year (Nov-April).

Environment- Sustainable Farming

Early in the farm's history, Sunny Ridge made a commitment to establishing sustainable farming practices. The Main Ridge property lies on the natural watercourse of Stoney Creek, making responsible management of this resource essential. Extensive wetland areas were planted with indigenous vegetation to create natural filtration systems around the dams on the property. These wetlands not only provide a habitat for native wildlife but also ensure that the quality of water in the dams is of a very high standard.

In 2004, whilst working with the local water authority son Mathew Gallace realised that the farm's Boneo property bore water was at risk of restriction. He formed a committee of local vegetable growers and they proposed a plan to turn the waste water that was being pumped into the Gunamatta sewage outfall into Class "A" water, making it suitable for irrigating vegetable and fruit crops.

The initiative, called Nepean Sustainable Water Scheme now consists of members from Sunny Ridge Strawberry Farm, local vegetable growers, Golf courses, and the local council. Their goal is to be using Class "A" recycled water by early 2008 which will not only reduce the pressure on our valuable groundwater resources, but also reduce the volume of Gunnamatta's sewage outfall.

Water conservation is a high priority for Sunny Ridge. While the farm has been able to run its property on bore water and its dams, the preciousness of this resource is never taken for granted. This was proven recently when an unseasonably dry 2006 threatened to deplete the farm's water resources. Before the situation became critical, new storages of underground water were sourced, but practices of smart water use and conservation are always on the agenda.

Technology

In order to continue supplying consumers with the best tasting strawberries available, Sunny Ridge is actively involved in trials for new varieties each year. The trials ensure that only varieties that produce full flavoured, visually appealing fruit and are compatible with the growing conditions will be sold commercially. Sunny Ridge has developed valuable alliances with other breeders to create exclusive varieties and has conducted research in the USA, Belgium and Japan. While many companies continue with traditional strawberry varieties, Sunny Ridge's selective breeding program has proven extremely successful with the introduction consumer favourites including their signature berry the Majestic.

In December 2006, Sunny Ridge launched a Long Stem variety for the high-end gourmet market including restaurateurs and food presenters. The launch in Sydney gained positive exposure for the business initiative and the demand from food connoisseurs has been overwhelming.

Sunny Ridge is also a forerunner in adapting internationally proven methods for the Australian climate. Much time and research is invested in improving not just the quality of the fruit but also how it is cultivated, packaged, transported and marketed.

Pest Control

An integrated Pest Management system is used to control strawberry growing conditions and minimize the use of sprays and chemicals on the property. The process involves extensive training of staff in applying minimal sprays as well as the use of biological controls wherever possible. The Integrated Pest Management system means that instead of applying sprays for a pest problem, a predatory pest can be introduced in a controlled manner to eliminate the problem. This practice has proven to be very successful.

SQF 2000

Sunny Ridge is involved in this quality assurance scheme that ensures premium quality in all products offered. The SQF 2000 Quality Code was developed for companies within the food industry whose priority was to manage the risks associated with business practices. It is an outcomes based program that covers regulatory food safety and commercial food quality criteria and also focuses on hazards within, product quality, environment, productivity, occupational health and safety, regulations and ethics. This scheme is a perfect fit to the business culture at Sunny Ridge.