Do the products contain any additives such as sugar or sulphur?
This is one of the most popular questions we get asked. No, it is all fruit only. We source our fruit locally, cut it all onsite and place it on the drying racks with nothing extra added at all. Definitely no added sulphur, sugar or anything else. Only the fruits in our “sweeter fix” section contain added sugar, which include ginger disks and the chocolate and yoghurt coated varieties.
How should the purchased fruit be stored?
Our fruit come in a resealable pack to keep the moisture out. Because we have dried the product, if it is a muggy or humid day, the fruit will start to absorb the moisture that’s in the air. So it’s important to keep it sealed. We also find that customers like to buy the big packs so the product can be shared out. So in this case, it’s important to keep it somewhere like a sealed jar or container to keep any moisture out.
Also, because our products don’t have any preservatives in them, the light can make them fade over time. They will still be fine to eat but will not be as flavoursome as brand new.
And it isn’t a problem if you want to sit down and eat them in one go, there’s plenty of people who do! But, if you want to store it for longer than a few weeks, the fridge or freezer is ideal. That way it’s in the dark and away from light.
Where is the fresh fruit sourced from?
We source our fruit from a wide area including our very own property. We have mango trees in our yard, with our other suppliers from properties in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The pineapples are sourced from a local grower in Childers; our figs are from Bundaberg; the bananas are grown locally and strawberries from Bundaberg.
We try to source our fruit as local and as close as possible for two main reasons:
- As soon as we do too much freighting across Australia, it raises costs and isn’t very energy efficient.
- We know our growers and love being able to source local products that the farmers don’t normally have a home for. A lot of the fruit has little marks or may be too big/small or even too ripe for supermarkets but they are absolutely perfect to eat so it’s great to be able to use the fruit rather than it go to waste.
Do you cut everything by hand?
We have a lot of machines that we use to cut, peel and slice but for some fruits we also have people that help by hand.
How do you dry the fruits?
We dry our fruits using heat and air machines. It is the same principle as the home dehydrators you get but on a larger scale. We just cut the fruit, put them on trays and they go through the drying process.
Where can the products be purchased from locally and Australia-wide?
There are a lot of different places in Australia where our products are found in bulk bins. You’ll find them in good health food stores that have nuts and dried fruits, so please ask them if they have dried fruit products that are made in Australia and make sure that they are sulphur free. Most likely they will be our product, but if you can’t find them, you can always ask.
In Bundaberg, we are very well supported locally, by HSG at the Gardens Restaurant and the Livestock Shop, Learmonths Foodworks; Lavish, Cha Cha Chocolate, IGA Avoca and Nana’s Pantry. You can also purchase through our online store here.
