Gold Coast economy: Burleigh-based Queensland Fruit Processors uses covid downtime to launch new business Burleigh Drinks Co

A Burleigh company has scored a smash hit with a new product it brought to the market after COVID-19 hammered its turnover. READ HOW IT WAS DONE

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BY now it is a familiar tale.

A business sees its revenue crumble after coronavirus-­related restrictions take an axe to its customer base and the company is forced to pivot to survive.

In the aftermath, a new business/side venture is born and that provides an alternate revenue stream to keep the operation viable.

All the above is true for Burleigh-based bulk juice supplier Queensland Fruit Processors owned by Michael Paull and Doug Bario.

The key difference according to Mr Paull is that a retail arm of the business called Burleigh Drinks Company was always on the cards.

Queensland Fruit Processors – which specialises in processing and distributing cold pressed juices made from fresh local fruits and vegetables – has pivoted during covid to launch a new company called Burleigh Drinks Co to sell their first sugar-free all natural lemonade. Director Michael Paull with the new range. Picture Glenn Hampson

“In a sense this is the culmination of 17 years of work,” he said. “The reason we started this business (QFP) is we worked for a big company and we saw how many terrible ingredients such as additives and preservatives went into products.

“We always had the intention to create a natural product for the retail market. It is easy to create a natural product when you do bulk supply but not retail.”

QFP was founded in 2003 as a supplier of bulk fruit bases, juice and pulp.

In 17 years it built up an extensive network of customers, including hotels, airports and casinos.

The company processes 250 tonnes of fruit from its 400sq m premises in Burleigh each year.

The coronavirus crisis took a sledgehammer to the business – wiping out 95 per cent of turnover.

Screenshot from the Queensland Fruit Processors website

“That’s when we decided to push this project we had been working on for some time,” Mr Paull said.

That project refers to soft drinks without preservatives, colours, sugars and sweeteners. QFP is adept at doing that with its bulk operation but retail presents an entirely different proposition.

“It is quite tricky to get a natural product like this but COVID gave us a heap of time,” he said.

The difficulty was producing the marketing materials and packaging.

“We did not have the packing side. We have always been a bulk wholesaler. We do a couple of hundred tonnes and it goes to the customers and they package it.”

However, that was not the most challenging part which came down to creating an extended shelf life for its all-natural product.

“We had to get the shelf life as long as possible without additives. It took us some time to get right. We have three months which is plenty in this instance.”

The first product to come on to the shelves for Burleigh Drinks Co is its lemonade, made with lemon and lime juice and honey.

Mr Paull said other products were in the works including energy, iced tea and premium soft drink ranges free of added sugars, colours and preservatives.

QFP has the capacity to produce 2.5 million cans a year meaning it has the means to ramp up production to meet demand. Mr Paull said the company’s name wasn’t just about where it was based – it also evoked a natural and clean lifestyle.

“I have lived in Burleigh for 20 years but also we want the brand to be about healthy and natural and all the things Burleigh represents,” he said.

“We want to sponsor local up-and-coming sports people and do community events.”

Fourteen outlets, including Helens Bulk Foods at Burleigh, will be stocking the Burleigh Drinks Company lemonade to start with.

Mr Paull said QFP had an extensive network of clients from Byron Bay to the Sunshine Coast which it intended to tap into to extend its retail operation.

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