Joe Ripepi, Director, Australian Strawberry Distributors, Melbourne Market
Tell me about Australian Strawberry Distributors
My parents, Gaetano and Michelina Ripepi, moved to Australia from southern Italy and purchased a small farm in Mount Evelyn, Victoria where they grew strawberries and carrots to ensure year-round supply of produce.
In those days we could only grow strawberries from October to early December.
The new varieties which extended the season didn’t come out until the 1980s.
In mid-1998 Rocco, my eldest brother, suggested me and my two brothers become partners and expand our berry business so we changed the name of the business from G & M Ripepi to Australian Strawberry Distributors.
We now have three farms in the Yarra Valley, a farm on the Sunshine Coast and a distribution warehouse in Qld as well as our head office at the Melbourne Market.
What do you specialise in?
We are one of the main strawberry wholesalers at the Melbourne Market and supply strawberries to market 12 months of the year.
We now have different varieties which, combined with the vast climatic zones in Australian, mean that we can have good quality strawberries year round.
What sets you apart from other wholesalers?
As the business has grown over the decades our family continues to remain hands-on with every aspect of the business from growing, packing and selling of the fruit.
We pride ourselves on our friendly persona and have built an industry reputation not only for producing quality strawberries but for our reliability and honesty.
Where do you source your produce from?
We not only grow our own fruit to sell; we also sell fruit on behalf of a large number of growers.
How important are our growers?
Our growers are extremely important because without growers we’d have no business and without growers there’d be no food on the table.
Who are your customers?
We supply the major supermarkets, independent retailers and providores.
How did you get into the fruit and veg business?
I am the only son born in Australia and grew up working on the family farm.
After school, I worked in a fruit and veg shop in Hampton for 10 years where I met and married my wife and honed my retailing and marketing skills.
Then I joined the family business in 1998 when we formed Australian Strawberry Distributors.
What has changed at the market over the years?
The new Epping Market is of course a major change, and it’s a beautiful and comfortable facility to work out of.
A slight disadvantage is that it’s a little bit too far from the centre of Melbourne and traffic is an issue for many retailers.
When they’ve finished buying they have lots of trouble fighting the traffic to get back to their shops.
To combat this many of the retailers are now pre-ordering so that they can have stock delivered to their bay and be out of the market as quickly as possible to avoid the peak hour traffic and get back to their shop.
What is the best thing about working at the market?
Working out of the market you are always dealing with challenges, and the highs and lows of the industry.
I like that every day is different and presents its own challenges.
What is most challenging about the industry?
One of the main ongoing challenges is maintaining consistency of quality and supply.
We are constantly challenged by the weather and through the years you learn to deal with whatever is thrown your way and move on.
What message would you communicate to consumers about buying strawberries?
Strawberries and full of antioxidants and have more vitamin C than an orange.
They are very versatile, you can eat them fresh or make purees, jams and desserts.
What have been some of the highlights in your business?
Watching our business grow over the years and seeing my nephews now taking it to the next level are definitely highlights for me.
What does the future hold for the business?
We are putting a new crop protection system in place and looking at growing some strawberries hydroponically which will give us more consistency in quality and protection against the outside elements. It will also give us the opportunity to look at the export market moving into the future.
