“This deal will enable us to plant more fruit, employ more people and give greater security and certainty to those Tasmanians we already employ,’’ Mr Clark said.
Asahi Beverages has taken a major decision to support Tasmanian farmers by buying 50,000 kilograms of locally grown raspberries each year and stopping its imports from Poland.
The Tassie raspberries will be pressed and processed at the historic Cascade Brewery in Hobart. Some of the juice concentrate will be used in Tasmania for Mercury Cider while the rest is sent to the mainland to be turned into Spring Valley fruit juice, Cottee’s cordial, and Pop Tops, which are also Asahi Beverages’ brands.
All the raspberries will be sourced from the family-owned Westerway Raspberry Farm, one hour north-west of Hobart. Asahi Beverages’ General Manager Procurement, Dave Baxter, said the switch to Tasmanian grown raspberries had been made because of their quality, their more reliable supply and Asahi’s commitment to supporting Australian farmers.
