In a win for Aussie farmers, Asahi Beverages has switched its raspberry supply from Polish imports to the Westerway Raspberry Farm in Tasmania.
The deal sees Westerway supplying Asahi with some 50,000 kilograms of raspberries, which will be pressed and processed at the company’s Tasmanian brewery, Cascade.
Dave Baxter, General Manager of Procurement for Asahi Beverages, said: “We know the best beverages are made with the best raw ingredients – and it really doesn’t get much better than being able to source fresh, world-class produce while supporting local farmers.”
The fruit will find use across Asahi’s operations, with some being used in Tasmania for Mercury Cider, while the rest will be sent to mainland Australia, to be transformed into Pop Tops, Cottee’s cordial and Spring Valley fruit juice.
“Spring Valley, Cottee’s Pop Tops and Mercury Cider are iconic Australian brands. We’re proud that we get to help Tasmanian farmers showcase their quality produce to the rest of Australia,” Baxter added.
Westerway is the largest processing grower of berries in Tasmania, and Owner Richard Clark believes that this new collaboration with Asahi will support the local economy.
“This deal will enable us to plant more fruit, employ more people and give greater security and certainty to those Tasmanians we already employ,” Clark said.
“We are a family business and take a lot of pride in what we do.”
“By supplying our fruit to a local quality processor at Cascade, it enables us to show case our berries in the best possible light,” Clark explained.
Clark also illustrated that Westerway’s raspberries are a genuine product of Tasmania, grown in its prime soils, and using local water for irrigation.
Asahi products featuring the Tasmanian fruit are slated to be gradually introduced to market later this year.