Retail brand of SSS Strawberries opens new facility in Qld 

In Thabeban, Queensland, Gina’s Table, the retail brand of SSS Strawberries, the renowned strawberry grower in Bundaberg, has opened a freeze-drying facility that is 4000 square meters in size. 

The factory, which is expected to have 50 employees when it is fully operational, uses freeze-drying technology that was developed by NASA and aims to save a lot of strawberries that may have been rejected previously due to market conditions. 

“The level of innovation now available in freeze-dry technology will allow us to take the next step in value-adding to tonnes of strawberries that may have ended up rejected and destroyed in the past due to market conditions,” Gina’s Table General Manager, Gina Dang, said. 

The freeze-drying innovation answers the issue of dismissed organic products, taking into consideration esteem expansion to strawberries that may not meet severe market measures. 

The Danish-imported freeze-drying machine can be used to make a variety of foods, such as frozen fruit, fruit purées, juices, dairy blends, powders, crumbles, and probiotic yoghurts. 

“We invested in this factory as we saw a growing need to end food waste. It’s heartbreaking to watch fruit that we have grown get rejected and destroyed. 

Freeze dried fruits retain their shape integrity, are lightweight, have a long shelf life, are GMO free and all natural and most importantly it not only keeps but intensifies the flavour,” Dang added. 

Bundaberg Region Mayor Jack Dempsey praised SSS Strawberries for the investment, underlining the locale’s superior soils that make it a leading developing region in Queensland. 

“The global food supply stemming from the Bundaberg Region’s ‘food bowl’ perfectly combines our natural competitive advantage with state-of-the-art processing,” Dempsey said.