The Reid family were one of the early pioneers of Tasmania’s fruit industries, establishing their apple operations in the Huon Valley in . It was a time when fruit trees had just started to be planted in Tasmania’s south.
Twenty years on Tasmania was exporting apples to the northern hemisphere, exporting some 1,300 cases of apples in a refrigerated steamer from Hobart to Great Britain in .
For six generations, Reid Fruits has worked in harmony with Tasmania’s unique natural environment to produce the highest quality fruit.
“My business philosophy is that there no substitute for quality. The sustainable management practices that we have put in place will ensure that future generations of cherry lovers will appreciate the care and guardianship that is involved in producing fine quality cherries.”
This focus on apples began to change in when Tim Reid made the strategic decision to diversify his business and plant cherries in the Derwent Valley. He saw an opportunity to supply large red cherries to a discerning and passionate new consumer base in Asia at a time of year when globally there was few other producers available.
Tasmanian cherries are known for their flavour, size and firmness due to the ideal maritime climate of the island state.
This successful venture has continued to grow and expand, with orchards now located across the Huon Valley, Derwent Valley, and most recently at Jericho in Tasmania’s Southern Midlands. This spread gives the business greater risk mitigation and a longer season in which they can supply their customers.
Tim Reid’s business efforts in the 2000s was instrumental in galvanizing government to establish export pathways into a number of Asian markets including Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. This has seen the development of enduring business linkages and partnership within these markets. Tim has been a pioneer and champion for the industry, working with the Tasmanian and Australian Governments to achieve export access to markets supported by robust scientific evidence demonstrating Tasmania’s continual freedom from key pests and diseases of trade concern.
With modern orchards and technologically advanced fruit handling systems, Reid Fruits is a world leader in innovative fruit production.
Today, Reid Fruits is one of Australia’s largest cherry producers, exporting sweet cherries to clients in over 20 countries across Europe, Asia, North America and the Middle East, and Japanese cherries to clients in Japan. Tim attributes the business success to Reid’s strong team who are all focused on a single outcome — to produce the finest cherries for cherry lovers across the world. Complementing this are four pillars of his business success:
Developing strong enduring relationships with customers
Being prepared to explore new ideas and take on risks
Pioneering ways to improve quality and reliability
Investing in production and supply chain systems that support improved eating experiences for their consumers
They attribute their long term success to their philosophy that there is no substitute for quality. Their sustainable management practices ensure that future generations of cherry lovers will appreciate the care and guardianship that is involved in producing their fine quality cherries.
Reid Fruits is continuing to grow and the outlook for export is looking very positive with strong demand. Reid Fruits is expecting another good crop in 2023 with an even larger volume to last season and excellent quality.
