A PERSIMMON in a lunchbox instead of an apple or banana is the vision Brett Guthrey has for his industry.
The president of Persimmons Australia makes no apologies for dreaming big when it comes to the future potential of his industry.
The industry gathered at the Campbelltown Catholic Club in New South Wales last week under the theme of "in it for the future".
Conference goers were told the future could hold big things if certain practices and technologies were adopted.
The Australian persimmon season is coming to an end but the six-month run was a positive one, according to Mr Guthrey.
"I thought our quality as an industry was a whole lot better," he said.
Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA) 2014/15 figures say there are about 80 persimmon growers in with 75 per cent of production coming from Queensland, however Mr Guthrey said that has reduced in recent years with several growers leaving the industry, putting Queensland's input closer to 50pc.
Total production for that time stood at 2482 tonnes, valued at $8.4 million, with 86pc for fresh supply, 7pc for processing and 7pc for fresh export.
Persimmon production in Australia is seasonally-based with Queensland commencing in late January or early February and continuing through to June when produce is provided by southern states.
Mr Guthrey said persimmons need to transition to being a mainstream consumer item.
"I think it would be great to see persimmons become something like an apple and banana in everyone's lunchbox," he said.
"We've got to work hard on that. That's what we should be aiming for.
"If you look at products like avocados, tomatoes; what's underling that is demand from cafes, restaurants that have those products on their menus.
"We need to work hard to get those products into those areas."
Surveys have found just 15pc of Australian consumers know about persimmons, something Mr Guthrey sees as a tremendous growth opportunity.
Conference attendees were given a tour of Mr Guthrey's own persimmon farm at Cobbitty, NSW where he provided details about his growing methods and concepts.
"I try to put not to put too much into capital. I try to work with what I've got," he said.
"I'm very conscious of labour and spending money before I've got the fruit.
"I tend to find ways to minimise that on-farm labour content."
Still, the humble persimmon faces some major challenges if it's to cement its place in fruit bowls across the country.
One of the major problems is in transportation.
Persimmons generally prefer a storage temperature of between seven and 14 degrees Celsius. Mr Guthrey said he's observed fruit sitting on markets' floors that have been at 0 deg C and were consequently sweating and going black.
"It's a problem," Mr Guthrey said.
"It doesn't matter what you do on the farm; how good your produce is, how you present it, we still need to make sure once it leaves the farm it's presented in the market in an appropriate manner."
Exposure and prominence are other hurdles persimmons need to conquer.
Horticulture Innovation Australia marketing manager, Monique Emmi, spoke about the marketing strategies and investments the organisation had made to raise the profile of the fruit.
She said a recent strategy to engage food bloggers and nutritionists worked well.
One involved a group meeting with food writers and social media food content makers to demonstrate how persimmons could be used on a cheese platter.
The other event saw nutritionist pulled together for a meal and information session on the health benefits of persimmons.
"You've only got so much mental availability to interact with brands," Ms Emmi said.
"There is a move away from quick and easy to fast and fabulous."
"They (consumers) aren't necessarily reading cookbooks anymore so you have to inspire them in a different way to use your products."
One of the more successful outings for persimmons was a shared stand at the Sydney Royal Easter Show were 17,500 persimmon samples were handed out.
"I just think it's all about exposure; exposure, exposure, exposure," Ms Emmi said.
She said consumers need to be aware of the fruit and its availability plus how to use it.
"There needs to be quality fruit and it needs to be consistent. They want to know what they are going to get," she said.
HIA relationship manager, Astrid Hughes, spoke on the persimmon Strategic Investment Plan which is in the final draft stage and available on the HIA website for perusal.
"Everyone that tasted them at the Easter Show loved them, and if we can just get awareness out there, I know that there are only good things in the future," Ms Hughes said.
Longer life
GETTING persimmons to stay in storage and on shelves longer could be an instant way to get the fruit in front of more eyeballs.
Making that happen might not be as complex as it seems, according to persimmon researcher and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries principal horticulturist, David Oag.
Mr Oag spoke at the Australian Persimmon Industry Conference last week on the Australian Sweet Persimmon Development Project and in particular the work done on post-harvest storage.
He said trials conducted with the SmartFresh (1-MCP) treatment and Modified Atmosphere Bags (LifeSpan bags) showed the storage life of persimmons could confidently be extended from two weeks to eight.
A point of note from the trials was the difference in storage abilities of fruit from different farms.
"It was evident some difference in fruit quality from different farms stored under the same conditions," Mr Oag said.
"So how the fruit was actually grown, may have impacted on the quality of the fruit going into storage which led to the out-turn of that fruit after the storage interval.
"We felt that modified atmosphere bags may be relevant to small producers particularly because it's quite easy to use in that style of operation.
"Our feeling is, the adoption of 1-MCP in the Australian persimmon industry could be immediate and relatively easy, particularly given that the technology is already used in the pome fruit industry, particularly with the apples."
Being able to store fruit for longer would give retailers and growers more control over the flow of fruit and perhaps reduce supply peaks and troughs.
"If you can extend your season a bit longer, you can extend past it your current supply in the season," he said.
He said the research could also assist in establishing export markets.
"All these factors, to me, suggest that there is potential to grow the Australian industry, grow the size of your market, because of the ability to extend the supply season and move into export reliably," he said.
Moves to make persimmons more accessible to the Australian public have already been made by fresh fruit wholesaler, JE Tipper.
The company's director and national sales manager, Daniel Lutman, spoke on how he envisioned increasing the demand for persimmons based on his experiences with other exotic fruits such as lychees.
Mr Lutman said four points crucial to consider when it came to marketing such products were: quality, satisfaction, shelf-life, packaging and education.
Mr Lutman said persimmons had a lot going for them.
"Its attributes are a real winner. I think it's really exciting for all growers out there," he said.
"It has a bright, vibrant colour; it's sweet, full of flavour.
"It's really convenient to a trend at the moment which is snacking. The persimmon fits that very nicely."
He said an often forgotten consideration of some major stores was the position of persimmons within the fresh produce section.
Persimmons are sensitive to ethylene, a gas given off by fruits such as bananas and custard apples, which means persimmons will ripen too quickly if placed near such items.
But Mr Lutman said he intended to give persimmons some substantial attention.
"This might spook everyone but I would individually flow-wrap persimmons," he said.
Flow-wrapping is a process where products are passed through a conveyor-style machine and wrapped in plastic. They can be individually wrapped or on a tray.
"The trials that I've done on the flow-wrap were quite amazing. So the shelf-life was two weeks in a flow-wrap," Mr Lutman said.
"The whole buzz thing going forward is recycling. And someone had asked the question about a sea of plastic on the shelf. I suppose the response is: What about mass waste on the shelf at the same time?
"I think the main thing out of all this pre-packed stuff is about extending the shelf-life and the experience for the end consumer."
"The other thing I would say about retail display is that it is a pragmatic approach. I would use the packaging like you do a billboard."