Meet some of Australia's best pineapple growers from Rollingstone in the north, right along the coast to Beerwah in southern Queensland.
These strong pineapple farming families across Queensland are leading the way in the development of best horticultural practice, creating a robust network of exceptional pineapple supply.
The central packing, sales and marketing functions that Tropical Pineapples provides to these growers ensures them the best market opportunities. It also means the best pineapples are offered to our markets and customers, all year round.
Adam Pike
G.O Pike and Sons
Farm & Background
I’m Adam Pike “Pikey”
I’m enthusiastic, outgoing and active.
I got into pineapple farming through Hi Family and I now work with Hi Farm.
Hi Farm produces 1,000,000 plants with the varieties of Smooths and gold 73-50’s and we also grow custard apples.
Choosing a good pineapple is as simple as looking at the appearance and their size. Once picked they are ready to eat so I don’t leave them lying around too long as they won’t get any better.
Fixing the gear and moving dirt are some of the things I love to do around the farm and if I wasn’t a grower I would be a Diesel Mechanic.
I love eating pines fresh, fresh, and fresh but when I cook them, my favourite recipe is Sweet N’ Sour Chicken Skewers, it so simple!
One of our big challenges in the pineapple industry is crop spread, and we try to harvest as many weeks a year as possible to look after our customers who are always coming back for more.
In my spare time I enjoy Wakeboarding and Snowboarding, both a fair bit cooler than picking pines in 40 degrees!
Nathan Stevens 
Lake Mary Pines
FARM & BACKGROUND
How ya going I’m Nathan Stevens “Stevo”
I would describe myself as a Hardworking, Honest ratbag with few regrets in life! I own and work on a beautiful Pineapple farm called Lake Mary Pines, at Bungundarra west of Yeppoon. I became a pineapple farmer through my family. My father & mother Col and Gail Stevens started farming in 1980 at our original property near Lake Mary.
I joined my parents on the farm in 1998 because I wanted to and I love farming. My preferred farming operation is boom spraying as I get to assess the patch, but I’ll put my hand to anything that arises on the farm. I feel the two biggest challenges we face as pineapple producers are the possible importation of pineapples and extreme weather conditions. Our Farm produces 1.5 Million pines per year, mostly Pure Gold varieties and a selection of Smooth Cayenne Yeppoon Pineapples for summer. The two key elements to look for when choosing your fruit are colour and flavour (Sugar) and to ensure you are buying perfect fruit look for our well-known labels and always check the fruit for freshness.
My favourite way to eat pineapple is in a salsa on a fresh caught barbequed barramundi, but I also love it on its own, or diced with finely chopped red onions and mint sauce.
If I wasn’t a farmer I would be a fisherman as it’s one of my favourite pastimes.
Ben Clifton Valley Syndicate
FARM & BACKGROUND
I’m Ben Clifton “Clifo”
Our farm is called “Valley Syndicate” a name it was given a long time ago. My Brother in Law and I have started this farm from scratch, but hang on....let’s start from the beginning.
“Valley Syndicate” was situated at Hidden Valley just outside of Yeppoon. The farm had been worked there for many years and had a few different growers (but I won’t get into that). It was 2007 when I became involved after I met and married my beautiful wife Michelle. Michelle is one of Mick Cranny's daughters, and Mick was one of the four founders of Valley Syndicate. With the original farmland being sold for development we bought the new property at Bungundarra.
After a few very difficult years of hard work and long hours, the new farm is up and running and producing some great fruit. The big challenges include the weather and input costs which have been massive on the new property.
The farm produces about 1.6 million pines per year with two varieties of Gold (MD2 and 73-50) and also Smooths (Cayenne) Yeppoon Pineapples. Two tips and key elements of choosing and eating pineapples are making sure you buy them fresh and become aware of the tags they display to ensure good quality.
I love eating pines straight off the bush first thing in the morning! I also enjoy them on burgers and pizza. If I had to describe myself, I’d say fun-loving, loyal and hardworking. Mostly I enjoy life on the farm but if I wasn’t a farmer I’d love to be a Surf or Scuba Instructor. My hobbies include fishing and surfing and I love going camping with my family.
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