South Australia wins top gongs in National Export Awards
Primary Industries
Three South Australian companies won awards for their export success, with aquaculture equipment manufacturer SEAPA being named the joint 2018 Australian Exporter of the Year.
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The global leaders in shellfish farming technology were first awarded the national Agribusiness Award, before sharing the ceremony’s most coveted award with the Canberra-based Aspen Medical.
Torbreck Vintners from the Barossa Valley was named Australian Regional Exporter of the Year, while the SWEAT Fitness App by South Australian personal trainer Kayla Itsines won the eCommerce Award.
SEAPA’s exports have grown from 25 per cent of their total business to 75 per cent in the past three years in line with the growing popularity of eating oysters straight from the shell.
SEAPA group sales manager Alex Jack said the oyster baskets are designed to grow the perfect product for oyster bars.
“It’s a real shift that’s happening around the world, it’s becoming quite trendy, there’s more and more oyster bars popping up in the US and in Japan there’s a move away from the tradition of just eating oyster meat in soups and now they are going to oyster bars to eat them out of the shell,” Jack said.
The company has been exporting their baskets since 2001 but have recently made significant inroads in important markets and has established offices in North America, Europe and Asia to maintain its growth
The Adelaide-based company claims that 1.6 million of their specialty oyster baskets are currently in use.
Established in 1994, Torbreck Vintners have earned a reputation as a super-premium winery in Australia’s most famous region, the Barossa Valley.
Torbreck Sales and Marketing Director Andrew Tierney said winning the Regional Exporter of the Year award reflects their investment in building their image on an international stage.
“Internationally our sales have doubled in the last few years and China is a really a big part of this success,” Tierney said.
“Our distribution partners are a key contributor enabling listings in the finest wine retail outlets, hotels and resorts, lifestyle properties, hospitality venues, and private clubs in over 40 countries as well as being served on Emirates Airlines first class flights.”
The SWEAT Fitness App, which won the eCommerce Award, was developed by South Australian company PixelForce in 2015. Since then it has been downloaded more than 37 million times, has more than a million monthly subscribers and is expected to help generate AU$100 million in revenue this year.
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