Oz Group Co Op is a 100% Australian farmer-owned co-operative. Oz Group works with our members to process and distribute the finest quality berries and berry products for our consumers.
We are passionate about providing the community with the freshest berries through sustainable and best farming practices.
After the decline of the local banana industry, members of the Coffs Coast Sikh community formulate the partnership Oz Berries, beginning with 4 grower families.
Oz Berries grows to over 18 growers, allowing local families to continue farming on the Coffs Coast.
Oz Berries purchases its first purpose-built packing facility in Woolgoolga, employing over 100 staff during peak season and ensuring the sustainability of the Oz Group brand.
The company continues to grow, producing over 600 tonnes of blueberries per year and hiring more permanent local staff.
Oz Group Co-operative forms, allowing growers to concentrate on farming practices and allowing professionals to take over in production, accounts, marketing and distribution
Oz Group partners with Driscoll’s, ensuring a steady supply of berries for Australian supermarkets.
Oz Group opens a new packhouse in Isles Drive, Coffs Harbour: allowing for greater production and more automated technologies.
Oz Group introduces raspberries and blackberries to its farming and distribution
Oz Group opens its rural store in Woolgoolga to cater for farmer supply needs on the Coffs Coast
Oz Group becomes the biggest blueberry supplier in Australia, producing 37 million punnets of blueberries, 1.1 million punnets of raspberries, and 202 thousand punnets of blackberries in the 2017/2018 financial year
Oz Group installs a Cyro-wave machine to individually freeze Blueberries.
Currently sold on Coles Supermarkets across Australia
The Coffs Harbour Packhouse expands to add two more automated packing machines.
Oz Group has seven packing machines and is always looking at improving efficiencies.
This allows the packhouse to keep up with the continued growth in the Blueberry industry.
After year 12 at Woolgoolga High School, Satpal started a Degree in Financial Administration / Accounting with UNE. One year later, he decided to go back on the family banana farm in 1992. Satpal and his family grew bananas up to 2010. However, the family needed to diversify into another crop, due to the decline of the local banana industry in the 1990’s. Satpal decided to try growing blueberries and planted his first plants in spring 1999, which was 2,000 plants of sharpe variety blueberries.
Satpal was fortunate enough to be one of the four growers to start Oz Berries back in 2001/2002 season. By marketing individually, these four growers were chasing the markets on a day to day basis sending fruit to the highest paying customer and were getting the constant feed back of inconsistent quality and no continuity of supply.
Satpal has been an integral part of the management of firstly the partnership Oz Berries and having been on the board of Oz Group previously, Satpal felt that he could bring his experience and knowledge to once again help the board going forward and now serves as Chairman.
Paul’s family are local to the Coffs Coast and have been in the industry for many years working with other farms and companies before purchasing their own family farm in 2010. Paul took over his family’s business in 2015 and decided to join Oz Group Co-op. The family now own 2 farms in the Corindi area.
Paul has a background in banking and business. After growing up on the Coffs Coast he completed a Bachelor of Business in Brisbane. He then returned to the area, working for multiple banking institutions before realising the work life balance he could achieve by working on the farm and joining the co-operative. He also recognised the financial benefits and the sustainability of the local industry when working within the co-operative structure.
Paul recognises the important role the co-op plays in the lives of local berry growers. He sees the best way of sustaining the prosperity of the industry is by working together to achieve bigger goals than one could make individually. Paul acknowledges the superior facilities of the co-op’s packhouse and the access that co-op members have to world-class plant genetics, as well as the relationships the business has developed with industry leaders.
Paul decided to join the board to help grow the business further and ensure its prosperity into the future. He sees the future of the industry in new genetics, growing in substrates and expanding the footprint of jumbo variety blueberries. He hopes to help the co-operative develop equilibrium in supply and demand to avoid peak period oversupply to Australian supermarkets.
Amanpreet and his family began in bananas but decided to take a leap of faith in 1996 and began growing blueberries. The family recognised the need to stick together to help maintain consistency and quality, whilst avoiding competition with their neighbours. This philosophy was what help create the success the co-operative has seen today, working with other growers.
Aman grew up farming. After high school he studied a Bachelor of Applied Science/ Bachelor of Education (Secondary) but never lost his passion for farming and continued to work on the farm whilst teaching. In 2012, the family purchased a second farm and diversified into macadamias, the additional workload saw Aman commit fulltime to farming. His passion and interest in horticulture has seen him diversify further, with a large plantation of raspberries being added to the farm from 2016. As a berry grower, Aman has focused both on field grown and substrates for his berry plantings.
Aman has joined the board of directors in 2019 as he wants to see the co-op continue to grow and benefit both consumers and farmers in our region. He continues to recognise the importance of unity within the business and is encouraged by enthusiasm and teamwork present within the co-op.
He also recognises the challenges that the environment and industry currently pose for the co-operative, including the negative impacts of drought and the potential for oversupply into Australian Supermarkets. Aman hopes to help Oz Group succeed and remain profitable long into the future, whilst providing continued value to its grower members.
Pawandeep grew up in an agricultural environment in Punjab, North India, in a joint family, common in Indian culture. He graduated from his local city school in 2005 and went on to complete a Bachelors Degree in Economics from D. A. V. College before moving to Australia to complete a Diploma of Business Management.
When Pawandeep moved to Woolgoolga he would visit his friend’s farm who would tell him a lot about blueberry farming, so eventually in 2014, with farming in his roots, he started his own small blueberry farm in 2014 with 4,500 plants.
However, Pawandeep soon realised it was difficult to do marketing as a small, individual farmer. He heard about Oz Group and the benefit of being part of a larger community so he joined in 2017. He explains that “as an individual, we are just a drop, but as a group, we are an ocean.” Working together with similar farms means together the Co-op can do so much more.
Since 2014 and as a result of joining the Co-op, Pawandeep’s farm continues to grow and flourish, currently boasting 54,000 plants ready for picking. He decided to join the Board of Directors this year as he saw it as an opportunity to serve and contribute to the Co-op from new heights, as well as a challenge to himself intellectually. Being part of the Board means he is able to improve value provided to the Co-op members.
Pawandeep sees the greatest strength of the Co-op being the togetherness and as a result of packing quality control, there is much less stress to the farmer with regards to marketing. Working together means access to the best genetics with high quality fruit. Everyone in the Co-op has the same access and it’s great to be part of a community that grows together under one name.
One of the greatest challenges facing the Co-op is ensuring the local community is educated about the blueberry industry as well as ensuring growers are up to date with chemical and water regulations, which are constantly changing.
Freshcare is Australia’s largest on-farm assurance program that focuses on food safety and farming sustainability.
Oz Group Co-op Grower Members are all either Freshcare Certified or going through the Freshcare (or equivalent food safety) Certification. The Freshcare Food Safety and Quality Edition 4 is a Code of Practice that all growers must comply with in order to maintain their Freshcare Certification.
The growers are audited at their farm annually during harvest season where the auditor checks against Code Elements covering areas including (but not limited to): Water, Facilities and Equipment, Fertiliser and Chemicals, as well as Traceability records.
You can learn more about this certification here: https://www.freshcare.com.au/standards/food-safety-quality/
In January 2109, Oz Group Co-op growers participated in a pilot program with Growcom to learn more about fair employment practices in the horticulture industry.
What a productive day spent with Coffs Harbour berry growers from @Ozgroupco taking part in our #fairfarms pilot. #ResponsibleEmployment Thanks OzGroup Coop, thanks growers! Plenty of insights and learning we took back to BNE HQ, which will inform the Fair Farms design! pic.twitter.com/n5raAkJ0LB
— ThomasHertel@FairFarms (@farms_fair) 29 January 2019
In 2010, the Driscoll’s name arrived in Australia. Through partnering with Driscoll’s, Oz Group has access to top varieties of blueberry, raspberry and blackberry plants.
Driscoll’s are the marketing and distribution partners of Oz Group, located within the packhouse site in Coffs Harbour, enabling Oz Group to supply their locally grown berries Australia-wide.
The Australian Blueberry Growers’ Association is the representative association of blueberry growers formed in the mid 1970’s in order to consolidate and progress the Australian industry. One main goal of the association is to ensure an Australian blueberry industry that produces quality fruit and is profitable and environmentally sustainable. The market is expanding worldwide due to the recognition of the blueberry’s great flavour and health benefits.
Mountain Blue is a family owned and operated company, established in 1978. Through its partnership with Mountain Blue, Oz Group has access to the latest blueberry genetics and newly developed blueberry varieties.
Where are your berries grown and packed?
Oz Group has a membership of over 140 growers and is 100% Australian farmer owned. These farmers are located on the Mid North Coast of NSW. The farms are spread from Grafton in the North to Macksville in the South.
The co-op also has an organic grower located in QLD.
Our blueberries are packed in our state-of-the-art packing facility in Coffs Harbour. Our raspberries and blackberries are packed on farm.
How is your fruit harvested?
Every berry we sell has been hand-picked from an Australian farm.
Do you use pesticides?
Oz Group growers use an integrated pest management method, which includes the use of both natural and synthetic means to control pests and diseases. Oz Group growers use only registered products approved by the APVMA in accordance to label and permit directives.
In addition, external and internal audits/certification, workshops and extensive testings are conducted regularly to ensure our growers are highly competent through the production process of quality berries.
All fruit provided to direct to supermarkets is Freshcare Certified.
Oz Group Co-op currently has 2 certified organic berry growers.
Is your fruit GMO?
No. Oz Group growers use genetics created through natural and traditional breeding processes and developed by Driscoll’s Australia and Mountain Blue Farms.
Is your packaging recyclable?
Our punnets are created from PET or Polyethylene Terephthalate which is fully recyclable material.
How should the berries be stored after purchase?
Berries should be stored in the refrigerator in their purchase packaging to prolong shelf life
Do I need to wash my berries before eating?
It is recommended that you wash your berries just before their consumption.
© 2022 Oz Group Coop.
