AFTER trialing their fresh lettuce into the south-east Asian market, Queensland growers Geoffrey and Anne Story and son Nathan, Story Fresh, Cambooya have consigned their first commercial order of fresh produce into Singapore.
The Story family has been farming vegetables since 1965, and started processing produce to customers all over Australia from their on-farm facility in 1990.
As well as packaging the supermarket fresh-cut produce, the family is also a major supplier of shredded lettuce into the food service industry, and supplies to Hungry Jacks and Subway across the Australian eastern seaboard.
Their first commercial shredded lettuce consignment was flown as chilled cargo from Brisbane Airport on Monday.
Story Fresh was also part of the historic inaugural international Cathay Pacific freight flight out of the privately owned Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport, near Toowoomba in late November last year.
"We had shredded lettuce on board that flight,” managing director, Geoffrey Story said.
"That was part of a trial into the Hong Kong market.”
"We are also trialing the Taiwan and Singapore markets, and investigating China as well.
“When Brisbane West Wellcamp starts operating, it will give us the potential to shorten our time between harvest and shipping to overseas markets.
“We will package the product in the morning, and it can fly out later that day."
As international freight opportunities continue to develop, Wellcamp Airport is planning to expand its cargo terminal capabilities, according to Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport’s business development manager Sara Hales.
Ms Hales said the airport was already working on a design for a perishable handling facility which would have major benefits for exporters looking to freight product direct from the Darling Downs.
“These are very exciting times not only for our local producers but the airport and the airlines,” she said.
“We want to be able to provide first-class facilities to handle the freight opportunities that will come our way.”
Discussions with Cathay Pacific and other air cargo operators are ongoing.
The Wellcamp Business Park, which incorporates Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport, is destined to be a business hub of Toowoomba and regional Queensland.
It is anticipated the Business Park will become a destination in its own right with landscaped streets, parklands and business buildings.