Commercial quantities of locally grown frozen berries are now available with the launch of the Matilda's brand in Australian supermarkets.
The berries are the latest venture of third-generation strawberry farmers Matt and Ruth Gallace, who also make wine and cider under the Rebello Wines and Cheeky Rascal brands.
Sourced from New South Wales and Tasmania, the hand-picked raspberries and blueberries are washed and snap-frozen in a new, purpose-built facility in the Yarra Valley.
Ruth Gallace said they built the factory from the ground up, and the packing site is exclusively for fruit.
“In many cases nuts are processed on the same site used to process other foods, which causes great concern for parents who have children with allergies," she said.
"The beauty of having our own site means nothing but fruit is processed here.”
The origin of each product is transparent too, with clear information on every bag.
“We’re really proud to be able to provide a product which challenges the current food labelling system," Gallace said.
"There needs to be far more transparency as to food origin and how it’s processed and packaged.”
