Finlay Family (Traprock)

The Finlay Family

using sustainable farming practices

grower profile

Andrew & Graham Finlay

Andrew and Graham Finlay and their families planted the first stone fruit trees on their property in 1984. A section of the paddock used for grazing sheep was fenced off, cultivated and had some irrigation pipes installed. That was the beginning of the Finlay Orchard. From those first few trees, the orchard has now grown to around 20,000. Remarkably, there are still seven trees remaining from that original planting over 30 years ago and fruit will be picked off them again this season. Shallow soils, warm days, cool nights and a pristine environment provide the perfect conditions for growing great tasting stone fruit. The stone fruit is packed and cooled on the same day that it is picked so that it gets to market as delicious and fresh as possible.

the varieties

narrowing it down

The initial plantings were of eleven different varieties of peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots. These were soon reduced to just two varieties when it became obvious which ones were going to do best; the Early Diamond nectarines and Red Beaut Plums. The newer varieties of stone fruit now run from mid-October until Christmas.

elevation

avoiding the frosts

In the year 2000, a second orchard block about 150 meters higher in elevation than the original was developed so that new, early flowering varieties could be grown without the risk of damage from spring frosts. This new block now produces over 75% of the farm’s produce. Over three-quarters of the orchard are trees that are less than 5 years old sourced from the best breeding programs in Europe and California. Traprock stone fruit is known for its sweetness and it’s the Finlay’s careful management of the fertilizer and irrigation that achieves this taste.

sustainable agriculture

improving the health of the soil

The Finlay’s have the belief that growing stone fruit should be done using sustainable farming practices while taking care of the environment. Water use is closely monitored to ensure leaching of nutrients out of the trees root zone is minimized. Organic fertilizers are increasingly becoming an important part of the farm’s nutritional supply. Graham and Andrew firmly believe that improving the health of the soil, and increasing the level of soil biodiversity are two of the keys to sustainable agriculture.

Andrew has been a director on the board of Summerfruit Australia, the peak industry body that represents Australia’s stone fruit growers. He has been on the board since 2012 and has been Summerfruit’s chairman for the past four years. He also works closely with Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd providing advice on the future direction and priorities for research, development, and marketing for the Australian stone fruit industry. Both Andrew and Graham and families hope to provide you with the best tasting stone fruit from passionate growers.

gallery

Forklift distributing bins of stone fruit to packing shed

Team member picking 5 up on a cherry picker.

Top view of Lawson orchard new plantings old varieties

Traprock Region Stone Fruit team member grading fruit

people love our fruit

see what they say

Being a chef and owner of Moda Tapas Brasa Bar, I pride myself on working with the best local produce available. This is why I go myself to the markets each week and get to know the farmers, and families that grow some of the best in the world. Working with someone like Mira from Devine Fruits helps to bridge the gap between the venue and the growers. Creating stories with the recipes that I create helps people to connect with the food and generates lasting memories. Getting to know the farmer and being able to showcase their produce in the restaurant is so important to me. Living in Queensland we have amazing produce to work with but getting to know and support the families is so important. Mira is an amazing advocate for these farmers and growers and is so passionate about what she does, it is a real pleasure to work with her.

Javier Codina
Moda Tapas Brasa Bar

“It was such a pleasure to work with Mira from Divine Fruits. Her passion to share the grower’s story behind the amazing produce we enjoy as an end product is admirable. Thank you Mira for sharing your passion with us and your commitment to connecting consumers with the grower’s story.”

Casey-Lee Lyons
Live Love Nourish

As a grower/supplier myself and a regular with using social media as a tool for advertising, I always love taking the time to see just what Mira and the team at Divine fruits have been up to on their Instagram account. I find Mira's work to be inspirational in sharing the grower's stories and connecting them to the public. I really enjoy seeing what other growers in around the nation stories are and different growing ideas and tips that are shared. Keep up the fantastic work!

John Mantovani
Manto Produce

Divine Fruits is a marketing powerhouse, they know how to spotlight a grower and their product and will connect them with the grocers and families that love what they do. Letting customers become ambassadors of their produce. It's a real pleasure to be associated with this branding.

Andersson's Fruit Market
Kingaroy

We bought five kgs of your wonderful plums for making a family favourite, plum jam. I ate a Kaso plum first and it was certainly the sweetest, juiciest plum I have ever eaten. We always buy Australian as much as possible and certainly only Aussie for fresh fruits and vegetables.

Susan H

Westridge Fruit & Vegetables has been proud to support Divine Fruits in sharing the growers' stories. We love to be able to tell and show our customers where the fruit is grown and who is growing it. We are passionate about fruit and vegetables and Divine Fruits shares this passion with us.

Thanks, Mira and her team for their outstanding efforts with connecting Growers - Retailers - Consumers.

Luke
Westridge Fruit and Vegetables

Divine Fruits have helped provide a connection; from grower to retailer to the consumer. Our customers are now aware of the various growing regions and can see how the fruit is grown when it is in season and who is growing it. Harvest Markets Booval is very happy to support Divine Fruits and thank them for helping share the grower’s stories.

Rob
Harvest Markets Booval

Since partnering with Divine Fruits we have noticed our local community has a better understanding of what goes into growing the fruit on the farm and what happens to get it to the shelves of the local fruit shops. Divine Fruits has helped boost the demand for Kumbia stone fruit. A WIN-WIN outcome!

The Dugdells
Kumbia

Every working week in the Traprock Region brings with it different experiences. Beginning with each seasons’ pruning and flowering right through until harvest and retailing, the highs and the lows of seasonal conditions, the people involved, their passion and their experiences are captured by Divine Fruits who are able to share the story about the families with you. Once you have eaten this delicious stone fruit, following the stories on Divine Fruits will be the closest thing to being in Stanthorpe’s Traprock Region.

Andrew
Traprock Region

In December 2016 we decided to engage Mira from Divine Fruits to market our Kaso Plums brand. After attending the product launch and in-store promotions in Brisbane and on the Gold Coast, we noticed that the customers were keen to learn more about where and how our fruit is grown. Through the use of Divine Fruits social media and promotional materials in stores, our brand gained more recognition and a greater demand for the product. Mira’s idea was to make the connection to unite the fruit grower with the consumer creating amazing results. This is not only a testament to the quality of Kaso Plums but also to Mira’s ingenious marketing of our brand.

Alex and Skinder
Kaso Plums

Mira has produced high-quality events namely the Guide Dogs Qld Charity Concert on the Gold Coast featuring International Pop Rock Band Herman’s Hermits. Each event was successfully carried out to plan and the feedback from guests was absolutely astounding. Mira is professional, enthusiastic and driven to deliver high standard work with the aim of fulfilling the client’s needs. She has the ability to energize the crowd with her bubbly nature and is meticulous in every aspect.

Phil Whitehead
Whitehead Crowther Lawyers

I had the pleasure of speaking at Mira’s International Women’s Day event held on the Gold Coast. Mira did such an amazing job of organizing and running the event. It was one of the most well-planned and executed events right down to the pre-work on social media and all the many other touch points were brilliant! Mira is a professional and a dream to work with.

Christina Guidotti
Speaker Advisor Author

get in touch

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Australia

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