Cudgen Road Farms Awarded $450,000 Coles Nurture Fund Grant for Sustainable Innovation
Coles Nurture Fund Grant to Reduce Skin Injury & Improve Shelf Life of Sweet Potatoes
Cudgen Road Farms is pleased to announce we are the proud recipient of a $450,000 grant from the Coles Nurture Fund. The fund is designed to help Australian farmers and food and drink producers deliver market-leading products and drive sustainable operations.
The Coles Nurture Fund has helped more than 100 Aussie farmers and food and drink producers drive innovation and sustainability, with $36 million awarded for innovative projects – with our sweet potato innovation project now added to the prestigious list!
What will the grant be used for?
Design and manufacture of sweet potato harvester that aims to minimise mechanical skin damage during the harvest process.
Innovative design features of the new harvester will mean a significant reduction in skin injury during the harvest process. By reducing skin injury, we decrease the potential sites for pathogen development and dehydration. Which in turn means higher potential for better-quality sweet potatoes.
Introducing the Sweet Potato Dry Down Unit
The Dry Down Unit is a brand new concept for sweet potatoes adopted from the citrus industry, with the aim to remove free water from the sweet potatoes prior to packing.
Introducing the Sweet Potato Dry Down Unit
The dry down unit is a brand new concept for sweet potatoes to remove free water from sweet potatoes prior to packing, significantly reducing the potential for bacterial pitting.
By drying down sweet potatoes post washing, before being packed into retail packaging such as crates or pre packs, free water is removed from the skin, eliminating one of the requirements for pathogenic infection. Pathogens will not infect the sweet potatoes as readily, improving quality on shelf, overall shelf life and customer satisfaction.
Anna Croft
Chief Commercial & Sustainability Officer
“Many of our producers are small to medium family-owned businesses that take great pride in delivering outstanding products for our customers. We welcome any ideas that help transform infrastructure, reduce waste, become more energy efficient and install new equipment to support greater volumes of Aussie produce.”
