At Milner Grapes near Mildura, in north-western Victoria, the red grapes are glistening in the morning sun. Workers are moving along the vines plucking ripe bunches for export.
“Today we're picking crimson seedless. It's a beautiful grape for our Asian markets,” says fourth generation grower Tim Milner.
“Both Japan and China absolutely love it because of its flavour. And also it has a really bright, vibrant colour.”
This season, grapes ripened under unusually cloudy skies, which means the harvest is coming in later and the fruit is full of juice and the grapes are bright crimson.
The colour red is traditionally considered lucky in China, but it is not the only reason there’s a growing appetite for this Australian-grown delicacy.
Crimson seedless grapes are prized for the red colour Credit: SBS / Scott Cardwell
“If you notice where I've rubbed my finger, that's rubbing the bloom off. But this grape here is untouched, so the bloom is stationary there.
“And that is what Asian markets prize, because it means the fruit is fresh and the best part about it is it tastes beautiful.”
A recent trade spat has led to a decline in Australia’s former $1.2 billion wine export market to China, leaving around six thousand wine grape growers struggling to find new markets
Tim Milner with grapes packed for export Credit: SBS / Scott Cardwell
“China has been a good boom for us for a long time, but the most important thing that's happened in China is over these years, we have developed a relationship and not just relationship we've developed friendship with our customers over there,” Tim Milner says.
“They're dealing with family farms and they are families themselves. That means they want our fruit because they can trust us. And that has helped get the Australian product over there.”
In fact, China buys about half of Australia’s annual 220-thousand tonnes of table grapes.
While speaking with SBS Small Business Secrets, Tim is supervising grapes being loaded into a temperature-controlled truck, with around 45-tonnes of fruit bound for Asia.
Like many Australian exporters, he has faced huge challenges in recent years, during the pandemic.
Milner Grapes needs more workers Credit: SBS / Scott Cardwell
“But this year, the labour challenges have dropped that down.
“The fruit is beautiful, it’s ready to go. Our buyers really want it, and the demand is very strong. But we just won't be able to physically pick it all, unfortunately.”
It’s a heartbreaking situation for many growers, however Tim counts himself lucky to have workers at all.
“I know of other farms where they've only got two or three so basically they'd be walking away from well over half of their crop this year.”
Despite the disruption, Tim expects to ship up to 3,000 tonnes this season after adapting pack styles to meet some quite specific Asian preferences.
“When we first started packing for China, we did not know how to do the right pack styles. But when [a Chinese trade delegation] visited they showed us how to pack the fruit.
“The first pack that we ever did was a pure face pack. And when you look at the top of the box all you see is berries, like a little carpet of grapes - and it looks absolutely marvellous,” Tim says.
“There is also a hybrid stems up pack – because one thing that's very important to the Chinese customers is to fresh bright green stems.”
Like many exporters, Tim is looking to expand his footprint in Asia with support from Austrade’s $72 million Agribusiness Expansion Initiative (ABEI).
ABEI was set up to help Australian agribusinesses expand and diversify their export markets.
Austrade's Emily Wood Credit: Supplied Austrade
“Southeast Asian markets love Australian table grapes because of the crunch, the way they look and the high sugar content,” she says.
To help showcase Australia’s table grape industry to the world, Sunraysia table grape farms have featured in a recent Austrade promotional campaign.
Grape growers Tim Milner (right) with his father (left) and son Leon. Credit: SBS / Scott Cardwell
“With international borders reopening Austrade is excited to invite international buyers back onto our shores,” Ms Wood says.
“Asian buyers are really value strong relationships, and they also value being able to see and taste the fruit themselves. So we have many activities planned around trade delegations where buyers can come and taste and see the fruit in person.”
Tim says table grape growers work together for the benefit of the entire sector.
“The only way we will succeed as an industry is if we all put good fruit into those markets and we all work together in that respect. And ABEI is helping us to do that.”
Emily Wood agrees: “The Australian table grape industry has grown due to its positive reputation in market. As soon as one grower succeeds, the whole industry can rise up above with it.”
Grapes are served in China at the end of a meal Credit: SBS / Scott Cardwell
“Growers are bringing in millions of dollars that is being spent in the community, whether it be on workers or tractor dealerships or just buying a couch - it all gets spent locally.
“And that money is injected into the Australian economy. So that's the actual benefit.”
Despite the ongoing labour shortage Tim also has big plans to plant more fields – for the future.
“I definitely keep want to keep going on this property. We are only maybe two thirds of the way through planting it. We've still got a bit left to go.”
