Berries Australia

What Berries Australia does

Berries Australia is the unified peak industry body representing Australian strawberry, blueberry, and rubus (raspberry and blackberry) growers, established in 2018 as a joint venture between three member associations: the Australian Blueberry Growers' Association (ABGA), Raspberries & Blackberries Australia (RABA), and Strawberries Australia Inc (SAI). The organization delivers industry advocacy, R&D coordination through Hort Innovation (the statutory grower-owned R&D corporation funded by industry levies and Australian Government contributions), export facilitation, market data collection, and food safety compliance support. Its operational portfolio includes the Berry Marketplace equipment trading platform, The Burst electronic newsletter, the subscription-based Australian Berry Journal, the biennial BerryQuest International conference (500+ delegates at BQI25 in Hobart), Berry Practical hands-on training events, and regional Industry Development Officers covering NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria/SA, and Western Australia. The organization is led by CEO Rachel Mackenzie and Chair Anthony Poiner, with Jenny Van de Meeberg heading export operations.

The organization's technology footprint is light and primarily third-party: it facilitates adoption of AI-enabled tools across the industry value chain rather than building them in-house. Notable integrations include FreshTrack Systems for supply chain management, GP Vision for optical blueberry grading, and Clarifruit's computer-vision quality assessment. A $9M Hort Innovation Frontiers program funds VR-based picker training and motion-detecting wearables in partnership with Think Digital. The organization does not charge growers for core advocacy services; instead it derives operating capacity from Hort Innovation levy administration, Berry Marketplace listing fees ($75 per non-member listing; free for paid association members), publication subscriptions, and Berry Industry Partner sponsorship from 28 technology and input suppliers including Netafim, Rivulis, Tomra, and GPGraders.

Berries Australia operates exclusively within Australia, with no disclosed international footprint. The Australian berry industry it serves has grown from $567M in production value in 2013 to $1,302.8M in 2024, making berries the highest production-valued fruit in Australia, with strawberries alone reaching 66,000 tonnes and $429M in 2022/23. The organization's strategic positioning — as the sole aggregator for the entire Australian berry industry, with statutory R&D funding and government recognition — gives it a structurally defensible role, but its growth ceiling is bound to the underlying industry rather than to disruptive product or geographic expansion.

Name

Berries Australia

Legal name

Berries Australia

Website

https://berries.net.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Berries Australia is the unified non-profit peak body representing Australian strawberry, blueberry, and rubus (raspberry and blackberry) growers, delivering advocacy, R&D coordination, export support, and industry services funded by Hort Innovation levies. Founded in 2018 as a joint venture of three grower associations, it serves as the sole industry aggregator for the Australian berry sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Berries Australia is the unified industry body that represents Australian strawberry, blueberry, and rubus (raspberry and blackberry) growers, delivering collective advocacy, research and development coordination, export market support, marketplace trading infrastructure, industry publications, and grower development services. Its offerings include the Berry Marketplace platform for equipment and property trading, the Australian Berry Journal, regional Industry Development Officers, export enquiry services, and the BerryQuest International conference with industry awards.

Product overview

Berries Australia is the unified industry body representing the Australian berry industries through a joint venture between three associations: Australian Blueberry Growers' Association (ABGA), Raspberries & Blackberries Australia (RABA), and Strawberries Australia Inc. The organization provides a portfolio of services including the Berry Marketplace platform for equipment trading, The Burst E-Newsletter and Australian Berry Journal publications, the biennial BerryQuest International conference with industry awards, Project Hub and Resource Library for R&D information, and Export Hub services. Regional support is delivered through Industry Development Officers across all states. The organization also facilitates access to minor use pesticide permits and maintains strategic partnerships with technology providers like FreshTrack Systems for supply chain management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Berry Marketplace
• Australian Berry Journal
• Export Hub and Export Enquiry Service Dedicated export support service for Australian berry growers and international buyers, providing market access assistance, export enquiry handling, and international trade facilitation, led by the Export Manager.
• Industry Development Officer (IDO) Service Regional officer service providing direct support, technical guidance, and expertise to berry growers across Australian states including NSW, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria/SA, and Western Australia.
• Industry Association Membership (ABGA, SAI, RABA) Paid membership in one of the three constituent industry associations — Australian Blueberry Growers' Association, Strawberries Australia Inc., or Raspberries & Blackberries Australia — providing access to member benefits including free Berry Marketplace listings, member communications, and industry advocacy representation.
• BerryQuest International Conference Biennial premier conference for the Australian berry industry featuring international speakers, workshops, trade displays, and networking. Includes the Berry Industry Awards recognizing excellence across categories such as Agronomist of the Year, Grower of the Year, Next Generation, Researcher of the Year, Supply Chain Champion, and Industry Impact.
• Berry Practical Event Hands-on training event for Australian berry growers offering practical demonstrations and applied training; Berry Practical 2026 is scheduled for 17 September 2026.
• Stella-ASBP Strawberry Variety New strawberry variety developed by the Australian Strawberry Breeding Program delivered through Hort Innovation in partnership with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Features high-yielding production, disease resistance (including red leaf disorder), sweet flavor, aroma, and bright red appearance; named after disability rights activist Stella Young. Available in every state and territory of Australia and accounts for over 50% of varieties grown nationally.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Berry Industry Partners (28 companies)minorOthers · 1 January 2025Various industry companies including Marshall Machinery, Automation Techniques, Atlantis, Croplands, Agnova, Netafim, Tanuki, Global Axis, Powerplants, ECO-TRELLIS, Elite Tunnels, AgSpec, Rivulis, GCP, TriCal, Corteva, JCLM Farming, Cailu, Irribiz, Ecomix, Approach Refrigeration, Agreva, UNITEC, GPGraders, Legro, Botanicoir, Haygrove, Tomra, Biological Services, Agri-Automation sponsor BerryQuest International and other industry events.
• Hort InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHort Innovation is the research and development corporation that funds Berries Australia initiatives using levies from the Blueberry Fund, Strawberry Fund, and Raspberry & Blackberry Fund, combined with Australian Government contributions. They coordinate R&D investments and marketing programs for the berry industry.
• Australian Blueberry Growers Association (ABGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABGA is one of three industry associations that form the joint venture of Berries Australia, representing Australian blueberry growers.
• Strawberries Australia Inc (SAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAI is one of three industry associations that form the joint venture of Berries Australia, representing Australian strawberry growers.
• Raspberry & Blackberry Australia (RABA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRABA is one of three industry associations that form the joint venture of Berries Australia, representing Australian raspberry and blackberry growers.
• Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDAF partnered with Hort Innovation to develop the Stella-ASBP strawberry variety through the Australian Strawberry Breeding Program, accounting for over 50% of varieties grown nationally.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Hort Innovation: Australian statutory research and development corporation that funds Berries Australia via industry levies and government co-contributions. It is both the parent-level funding entity and the broader horticulture R&D partner, enabling Berries Australia's operations but operating at a much larger, cross-industry scale.

Direct peers

• AusVeg: Peak industry body for the Australian vegetable sector, structurally analogous to Berries Australia in serving growers, coordinating R&D with Hort Innovation, managing permits, and running industry events. Same funding model and same farmer-advocacy mandate make it the closest direct peer.
• Citrus Australia: Australian citrus growers' peak body covering oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes and grapefruit. Comparable in its levy-funded R&D coordination, export market access services, and Biosecurity Act stewardship responsibilities.
• Australian Nut Industry Council: Joint-ventured umbrella body representing Australian tree nut industries (almonds, macadamias, walnuts, pistachios, pecans), structurally identical to Berries Australia's three-association joint venture model across a different horticultural sub-sector.
• Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL): Peak industry body for Australian apple and pear growers, sharing the same Hort Innovation levy-funded model, export development remit, and industry-development-officer structure as Berries Australia.
• Australian Table Grape Association: Peak industry body for Australian table grape growers, also partnered with Hort Innovation on the $9M Frontiers program alongside Berries Australia. Operates the same export-market-development and industry-research model across a single fruit crop.
• Australian Mango Industry Association: Peak body for Australian mango growers, delivering levy-funded R&D, marketing, export development, and biosecurity services. Highly comparable in scale and operational scope to Berries Australia, albeit for a tropical rather than temperate fruit.
• Summerfruit Australia: Industry body representing Australian stonefruit growers (peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots). Mirrors Berries Australia's structure: a Hort Innovation-levy-funded peak body providing export support, R&D coordination, and grower services.

Regional players

• Plant & Food Research (New Zealand): New Zealand government-owned crown research institute delivering berry breeding, agronomy, and post-harvest science. Comparable because it coordinates berry industry R&D across the Tasman, sharing similar varietal development pathways (e.g., Stella-ASBP parallels NZ breeding programmes).
• Cherries Australia: Australian cherry industry peak body with similar levy-funded R&D and export mandate. Smaller in scale and more seasonally concentrated, but operates under the same Hort Innovation framework and targets overlapping export markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bossberryrachel
• Facebookfacebook.com/berriesaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/berries-australia

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Berries Australia