Locally grown Bravo apples hit independent stores as new juice brand
Bravo apples bred in WA are being made into bottled juice for the first time under a new brand name — Soluna.
Developed at the Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies Centre, in the Peel Business Park at Nambeelup, the purple-skinned fruit now has an extended shelf-life thanks to new research.
The apple juice is cold-pressed by local beverage processor Pressed Earth, before undergoing high-pressure processing to extend its life to 90 days.
Fruit West chair Anne Lister said the new juice ensured nearly all the co-op's harvest could be processed and would contribute to downgrading food waste.
'Pink Lady and Bravo came out of the same research station in Manjimup,' she said.
'We're very proud of it and it's a fabulous program that's potentially got some more really great apples for the future of West Australia and the world.
'We're really absolutely blown away by the showing that it has and the support that is growing every year.'
Ms Lister said the plan to export the juice had been in discussions for about five years.
'Maximising the harvest is really, really important for growers, and also tapping into a market that we hadn't looked into before,' she said.
'The great, unique thing about this is that is that it doesn't oxidise, so it lends itself so well to juicing using the high-pressure method, and it produces the beautiful pink colour.'
Bravo apples are WA's largest apple export, with more than 740 tonnes sold to Asia and the Middle East in 2024.
Trials for apple slices, expected to be in store by the end of the year, are in the final stages at the SIFT Centre, and they will stay fresh for 21 days.
WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said the purple apples provided an 'additional avenue' for WA growers, and boosted the industry's diversity.
'These projects are the result of an innovative research project, backed by the Cook Labor Government, and developed at the Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies Centre, a state-of-art facility we are proud is supporting our local food and beverage manufacturing sector,' she said.
'Value-added products create an additional avenue for our growers and improve the long-term value of the fruit, helping the industry to grow and diversify.'
The researched apples stemmed from a pilot program between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, the Fruit West Co-operative, Murdoch University, Bruker Biospin, and the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre.
The fruit initiative forms part of Fruit West's plan to capture new domestic and international markets for apple products, with the co-op exploring opportunities for Soluna Apple Juice and slices in Asia and the Middle East.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
26-05-2025
- West Australian
Locally grown Bravo apples hit independent stores as new juice brand
Bravo apples bred in WA are being made into bottled juice for the first time under a new brand name — Soluna. Developed at the Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies Centre, in the Peel Business Park at Nambeelup, the purple-skinned fruit now has an extended shelf-life thanks to new research. The apple juice is cold-pressed by local beverage processor Pressed Earth, before undergoing high-pressure processing to extend its life to 90 days. Fruit West chair Anne Lister said the new juice ensured nearly all the co-op's harvest could be processed and would contribute to downgrading food waste. 'Pink Lady and Bravo came out of the same research station in Manjimup,' she said. 'We're very proud of it and it's a fabulous program that's potentially got some more really great apples for the future of West Australia and the world. 'We're really absolutely blown away by the showing that it has and the support that is growing every year.' Ms Lister said the plan to export the juice had been in discussions for about five years. 'Maximising the harvest is really, really important for growers, and also tapping into a market that we hadn't looked into before,' she said. 'The great, unique thing about this is that is that it doesn't oxidise, so it lends itself so well to juicing using the high-pressure method, and it produces the beautiful pink colour.' Bravo apples are WA's largest apple export, with more than 740 tonnes sold to Asia and the Middle East in 2024. Trials for apple slices, expected to be in store by the end of the year, are in the final stages at the SIFT Centre, and they will stay fresh for 21 days. WA Agriculture Minister Jackie Jarvis said the purple apples provided an 'additional avenue' for WA growers, and boosted the industry's diversity. 'These projects are the result of an innovative research project, backed by the Cook Labor Government, and developed at the Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies Centre, a state-of-art facility we are proud is supporting our local food and beverage manufacturing sector,' she said. 'Value-added products create an additional avenue for our growers and improve the long-term value of the fruit, helping the industry to grow and diversify.' The researched apples stemmed from a pilot program between the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, the Fruit West Co-operative, Murdoch University, Bruker Biospin, and the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre. The fruit initiative forms part of Fruit West's plan to capture new domestic and international markets for apple products, with the co-op exploring opportunities for Soluna Apple Juice and slices in Asia and the Middle East.
ABC News
23-05-2025
- ABC News
The success of Bravo as Westerm Australia's most popular apple export could pave the way for more varieties
The success of a unique variety of West Australian apple that in three years has become the state's biggest apple export could see further varieties soon hit supermarket shelves. WA's unique Bravo apples, known as Soluna overseas, continue to gain popularity in international markets including the Middle East and Asia. The industry hopes to produce 50,000 tonnes of the apples annually by 2035 and more varieties are in the pipeline. In a state that prides itself on its big resources and agriculture sectors, what role can the humble apple play? If you ask the growers and researchers behind the Bravo apple, they'll list a magnitude of reasons to explain the need for innovation. Aesthetics and health benefits aside, it comes down to staying competitive in a global market, while adapting to climate change. "Every year farmers are really trying to figure out how am I going to manage the season," CEO of WA Farm Direct Jenny Mercer said. "This has given farmers the opportunity just to stay in the game. "Because this is bred here in Manjimup, it's naturally suited to the endemic condition of Australia. It doesn't make it any easier, but it gives us half a chance." Ms Mercer said when coupled with a consumer market that has become accustomed to new, exciting products — the standard, sometimes floury apple, just doesn't cut it. "We're always looking for better tasting, better growing, better eating varieties," Ms Mercer said. "That apple really represents decades of innovation." WA's advantage in the apple market is the Manjimup Horticulture Research Institute, which is home to the national apple breeding program. It was the birthplace of the Bravo and the iconic Pink Lady variety. "A lot of people in Western Australia don't know that fact, but in Manjimup we're really, very, very proud of it," chair of apple cooperative Fruit West, Ann Lyster, said. Pink Lady was exported from WA to the UK in the late 1990s and early 2000s, which provided a solid return to growers and lifted the Australian industry. But when international producers entered the market, Australia was priced out. Then came the Bravo apple, which was planted in commercial quantities in Manjimup a decade ago. In comparison to other global producers, what comes out of Manjimup is "tiny," but the popularity of the product appears to be thriving. "We're really punching above our weight. It's an amazing achievement," Ms Lyster said. Bravo apples were planted in commercial quantities in Manjimup eight years ago, and have been sold in Australian supermarkets for several seasons. In the latest development, Bravo apples have been juiced and sold as a drink to utilise the harvest and tap into a whole new market at home and abroad. The profitability of the Bravo internationally looks promising — in just three years the dollar value on sales to export markets has grown to $1.7 million per year. The Manjimup research station will introduce more varieties to the market in the near future. "In the breeding program, there's new apples definitely there, that show great promise," Ms Lyster said. "But they'll be a few years away yet."
West Australian
22-05-2025
- West Australian
WA's biggest insurer in sights of IAG after insurance giant snares Queensland RAC
Australia's competition umpire won't stand in the way of IAG's move to buy RAC Queensland in a decision that could clear the way for the behemoth to take control of WA's biggest general insurer. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on Thursday ruled there were enough home, contents and motor insurance providers on the market to keep IAG on its toes and it would not further probe its planned $855 million acquisition of the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland's underwriting business. ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said the likes of Suncorp, Allianz, QBE, and newer entrants such as Youi, Auto & General, and Hollard meant there was still plenty of competition in the Sunshine State. 'While RACQI has strong brand recognition in Queensland, our review found that it does not differentiate in terms of price or coverage,' Ms Cass-Gottlieb said. But the watchdog said its decision on the deal was in no way a curtain-raiser for what happens with IAG's concurrent proposal to buy RACWA's insurance arm. The ASX-lister is proposing to buy Perth-based RAC Insurance for $400 million and make an upfront payment of $950 million to RACWA for a 20-year exclusive distribution and brand licensing agreement. The $1.35 billion sale could hand more than 55 per cent of WA's insurance market share to the Sydney-based outfit, analysts at UBS have estimated. WA-based claims staff, who will sell home and motor policies developed and underwritten by IAG, will get to keep their jobs for at least two years. The Motor Trades Association of Australia lamented IAG's move on the homegrown WA business as 'the beginning of the end for locally owned, motoring club-based insurance in Australia.' RAC's in WA and Queensland are not the only players in the eyes of big insurers, with the ACCC also juggling a review of Allianz'a pursuit of Royal Automobile Association of South Australia's insurance arm. 'If these deals are approved . . . it will be the nail in the coffin for local motoring club insurance,' MTAA interim executive director Rod Camm said when the WA deal was announced last week. 'The agreements could mislead consumers into thinking they were still insured by a local motoring club, IAG's announcement it will deliver insurance for RACWA pulls the wool over the eyes of Western Australians for the next 20 years.' The group is urging the ACCC to reject the proposals, claiming consumers will be left with less choice and higher premiums. On the back of a booming year , the RAC in WA called in investment banking firm Barrenjoey at the end of 2024 to size up the business. An RAC spokesman confirmed at the time that a 'strategic review' of its insurance business was under way, saying the group was 'constantly looking for ways to improve our member experience and the services we provide, including insurance.'
