As a proud South Australian brand, BankSA has always been a strong supporter of local businesses and is keen to help promote the hardworking individuals and families behind these enterprises – many who are our customers.
Through our twice yearly Business Focus magazine, we showcase some of the SMEs we work with and reveal more about their philosophies as business operators, as well as their range of products and services.
We chose to focus on food and the SA food sector in this latest edition because there’s no shortage of new and established operators out there – both the well- known and the not so well.
In an era when consumers can buy just about anything online, it was just a matter of time before some of South Australia’s premium Riverland citrus could be ordered and enjoyed by customers located well beyond the region.
Fresh Citrus Direct is run by the Arnold family which comprises Barry and Bernice Arnold and their three sons Ryan, Michael and Tim.
The family has a history of innovative farming practises which have resulted in a complete turnaround in the condition of their 70 hectare Pyap property purchased in 2002.
“It was pretty run down and in quite poor condition,’’ Mr Tim Arnold said.
“Through hard work and new production methods it’s been restored to good health and productivity.’’
The company has been a BankSA business banking customer for the past 10 years and has worked closely with the family on its strategic direction.
Fresh Citrus Direct grows about 10 varieties of citrus on the property, located 10 kilometres out of Loxton.
“I studied horticulture and tend to focus on soil quality and irrigation, Michael has a focus on propagation and Ryan, who was dry land farming until recently, manages the pest control, so we all tend to have strengths in certain areas and it seems to work well.’’
Another part of the business that’s working well is the online venture.
For the past few years, they’ve been selling their fruit online – in addition to the traditional methods – and have developed a strong and loyal customer base not just around South Australia, but also in New South Wales and Victoria.
“Ten years ago we were focussed on exporting a lot of fruit to the US, but with the high Australian Dollar, it’s been very difficult to export,’’ Mr Arnold said.
“We are looking at more export though now with Asia where our mandarins are really popular. We are one of the best locations in the world for mandarins and navels.
“We try to keep our finger on the pulse with new varieties that come along and with marketplace demands and trends. We saw online marketing as a strong trend and decided to try it. It means that people get it when it’s really fresh as soon as possible right after picking.’’
He said food and food related industries were strong contributors to the local economy and had potential, with the right levels of support, to increase their profile.
Photography by Tom Roschi
