THE STORY

FROM HUMBLE BEGININGS

 

Alfio Emmi migrated to Australia from Italy in the early 1950s. Upon arrival in the Goulburn Valley, he went straight into finding work in local orchards.
Being the hard worker he was, he picked and pruned and gained valuable farming experience.

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Times were tough and Alfio left the region to pursue work on the sugar cane farms in North Queensland.

A few years later, he came across the opportunity to purchase a property just outside of Mooroopna, VIC, where Alfio started to grow Apples, Pears and Stonefruit.

He named his farm 'Sicilia Orchards'.

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With the strong family support as well as his commitment he formed the foundation for what 'Prima Fresh Orchards' is today.

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CONTINUAL GROWTH

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In 1978, the journey continued with the purchase of the property on Craven Rd., Tatura, VIC.

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At the time, the property was equipped with glass houses, which was an opportunity for the family to grow and sell fresh flowers.
 

This was followed by an expansion of Orchard, a new Packing Facility and Cold Storage. It has become the Prima Fresh Group’s main Orchard and Head Office.

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In 1992, Alfio purchased an additional property, and the growth and expansion continued.

 

Alfio, along with his wife and children, ran both, the orchards and the packing shed, spreading the supply of their fruit to the Ardmona cannery, the domestic and export markets.

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Every Sunday night Alfio would make the long journey to the Central Market in Melbourne, where in the early mornings he sold his fruit and then returned home every Friday afternoon.

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Alfio sold his fruit at the Melbourne Markets for 41 years until he retired in 2003 at the age of 75.

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THE NEXT GENERATION

 

In 2002 Gerard Alampi purchased the operation from his uncle. He gained full control and renamed the business 'Prima Fresh Orchards and Coolstores Pty Ltd'. And whilst this was in a lot of ways a new beginning, it kept the family legacy running.

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Gerard’s vision was (and is) to grow the best possible fruit for his customers, including the domestic markets, export markets and chain stores.
 

His vision became a strategy, which saw a new packhouse built, and the cool storage upgraded.
The overall strategy implementation also saw the new Prima Brand come to light.

 

Gerard’s initial vision and the ongoing implementation of the long-term strategy have seen the Prima brand recognised globally and in high demand, which has allowed the business to grow to where it is today.

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The Prima Fresh Group now consists of a total of 197ha of land spread across 5 properties.