What an incredible stone fruit season it has been for Kumbia! Starting with the sweet yellow and white peaches followed by the irresistibly juicy nectarines, there was so much on offer. We couldn’t get enough of South Burnett’s delightful Spring treats! Growers Tony and Matt Dugdell worked around the clock ensuring the stone fruit was harvested at the perfect time. Sometimes there were minor distractions  through-out the process. The pitter patter of little feet from Tony’s son Lachlan and Matt’s son Olly who had just wanted to sink their teeth into the yummy fresh fruit. Endless rows of beautiful fruit trees filled the Dugdell orchard and there was excitement all-round – plenty for everyone to enjoy!
Over at the Francis’ orchard, Shane and Lindsay were flat chat juggling all things stone fruit. Speaking with the fruit pickers in the orchard, they absolutely love what they do! Picking the big bright peaches and nectarines in a serene setting is just the perfect outdoor job. It was busier in the packing shed with the grader on full speed. Each team member plays an important role in getting those tasty treats packed ready for Queenslanders to enjoy. As a result of the intense heat from those blistering days, the crop this season ripened quickly! It was good to know that the growers successfully managed all aspects of the harvest. This season produced well over several hundred tonnes of fruit which was transported to fruit shops in Queensland and Sydney.

Grateful Green Grocers

South East Queensland Green Grocers absolutely love stone fruit season! Local green grocers are always grateful for quality fruit that customers love! Many were counting down the days through winter until Kumbia stone fruit finally arrived. Their loyal customers would regularly ask about the Kumbia stone fruit. This season saw even more customers loving the produce. In addition to the loyal ones returning, there were many who tried the fruit for the very first time and could not resist buying on the spot. Thankfully there was plenty to go around! We would like to thank both the Dugdell and Francis families who continue to produce flavourful stone fruit each year!

Renowned Chef Matt Golinski

It’s always an exciting time to have growers produce featured, particularly when it is by renowned chef Matt Golinski! Matt has created some tantalising dishes with Kumbia stone fruit last season and this season was the perfect time to showcase it before an even bigger audience! The chef wowed the crowd at Brisbane’s Good, Food and Wine Show. Along with fellow Chef Alastair McLeod cooking up a storm with Kumbia peaches on the stage.  An irresistible Greek style dessert, Loukoumades with grilled peach and tangelo curd cream pleased many at the Chef’s Lunch. The dish was bursting with flavours! This is the kind of dish when seconds are a must! Matt wholeheartedly believes in supporting local producers. He states that the Kumbia stone fruit is without a doubt the most flavoursome early stone fruit around. We are grateful, thank you Matt!

Clovely Estate Dreamy Degustation

The Kumbia stone fruit seems to be highly sought after by many chefs including Clovely Estate’s Executive Chef Mike Kirwin. South Burnett’s Clovely Estate not only boasts a century old vineyard and olive groves but they deliver a ‘country to city’ food indulgence. The Red Hill City Cellar door wanted to create an unforgettable 2019 final degustation, boy did they succeed! This time they teamed up with Divine Fruits to feature neighbouring producers Kumbia stone fruit. Apiaries 8, Kenilworth Dairies and Frolicking Goat were also some of the other amazing ingredients used in this delightful menu.
Guests were pleasantly surprised with the delectable 5 courses, all of which were perfectly paired with the Clovely Estate Wines. One of the best parts? The title of each course related to the fruit in some way. The first course ‘Kumbia Sun’ featured the yellow nectarines and the earthy tones of Frolicking Goat cheese and other refreshing delights. ‘Salt Blush’ was our second course which included the sweet Kumbia yellow peach, seared tuna, Apiaries 8 honey plus many other tasty flavours! Every course was just as flavoursome as the last. You’ll just have to attend a degustation to enjoy an experience like this. All 74 guests sat in silence as grower Tony Dugdell shared his passion of growing stone fruit. Not only the good points, but also Mother Nature’s contribution, the hail storms and drought. That said, there’s nothing stopping these growers. They soldier on and continue to grow and deliver stone fruit to all Aussies! Thank you Clovely Estate for featuring our Kumbia growers stone fruit in your end of year degustation, we’ll always remember this event!

LIVE LOVE NOURISH

From amazing Chefs to talented Nutritionists! This Super-Mum is extremely passionate about supporting local producers. Brisbane’s Casey-Lee of Live Love Nourish enjoys nothing more than sharing wholesome tasty food with her family and the rest of Australia! Casey-Lee is inspired by almost every new season fruit and vegetable. We were more than excited to team up with Casey-Lee who astonished us creating 4 flavoursome recipes with Kumbia stone fruit. Of course, we’re not fussed on whether it’s savoury or sweet. We love both! The first recipe, a sweet one but healthy too, Easy Peach Cobbler. Next up was the nutritious Salmon and Nectarine Salad, how refreshing is this dish! We decided to cook the following day and couldn’t believe how well the flavours blended! For those spicy foodies, you can’t go wrong with a Spicy Chicken Bowl with Peach Salsa, our third recipe. Lastly, this one’s for the kids – but also an absolute winner with grown-ups! Peaches and Cream Muffins, super scrumptious. Thank you, Casey-Lee, for your incredible recipes and for sharing your passion for Aussie growers!

I.M. SWEET Australia

Folks, Goulburn Valley’s favourite stone fruit is back and spoiler alert; they’re even more delicious this season! A week before we launched, we embarked on a short trip to Shepparton Victoria to see the growers. What a breath of fresh air walking through the orchard and gazing upon a delightful sea of bright orange ‘Golden Bites of Sunshine’! We were greeted with a warm welcome from growers Dasha, Sherie and their children who couldn’t wait to share their apricots with us.
Firstly we wanted to give you some insight into something that absolutely surprised the entire family. While working in the orchard, Sherie in her final week of pregnancy suddenly calls Dasha for help. Panic stations! Sheries’ contractions were only minutes apart and she was ready to push. Dasha immediately dialled 000 and at this stage the baby was ready to be delivered, there was no time to wait for an ambulance. The amazing paramedics guided Dasha on the phone to ensure mother and baby were in good health and everything else fell into place. What an incredibly emotional moment for the couple, they were blessed with child number 4. The first boy, gorgeous baby Zavier! We’re extremely happy for the family and all 3 sisters just could not stop cuddling their little brother.

The launch of I.M. SWEET Australia

We are always excited to share new season stone fruit with green grocers. I.M. SWEET Australia was an absolute hit at this year’s launch! Busy fruit shop owners could not resist that first bite of Goulburn Valley’s tasty Summerfruit! Pallets upon pallets of apricots were dispatched to local fruit shops around South East Queensland. It’s wonderful to hear that loyal customers are enjoying the flavour and coming back for more. There will be more varieties harvested over the coming weeks. We have some exciting news coming very soon! You’ll need to like and follow us if you haven’t already on Facebook, Instagram and subscribe to our YouTube channel as we share more of I.M. SWEET Australia! Stay healthy and eat Australian Grown!