Author: Brigid Veale

Costa Tomato Exchange has initiated a Well Grown Community Grants Program to provide support for community organisations within the Guyra and Armidale regions.

We are inviting not-for-profit community organisations, sporting associations and schools to register their interest for support through our 2023 Grants Program.

Organisations seeking funding for 2023 will need to complete our Expression of Interest form by 5pm, Monday, February 20, clearly outlining how they meet one or more of the Eligibility Criteria.

All applications will be assessed and the grant funding will be allocated to those deemed most suitable.

Find out more.

Cathy Chambers’ love of learning and willingness to take on new opportunities have helped drive her career success.

Cathy is the first female general manager to be appointed within the Costa operations.  The Costa China farms grow blueberries, raspberries and blackberries in the Yunnan Province in southern China, and employ more than 200 permanent local staff, five expatriates, and more than 3600 casual and seasonal workers.

Cathy, who took on the role in June this year, said her key focus was continuing to drive the success and growth of the China business.

“I’m obviously very excited to be involved in a rapidly growing business.  In just seven years, we have grown from one farm of 25Ha to seven farms spread across three different regions with around 400 planted Ha.  And we intend to keep expanding at a similar pace.  It takes an amazing and resilient team to sustain this kind of growth: developing a new farm each year, while successfully managing ever-larger operations, and for the last three years, all during a global pandemic.  It’s a privilege to work with them,” Cathy said.

“Another key goal is to deepen the connections between our China business and the Australian operations.  This has been tough for the last three years because of COVID travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.  But once that changes, I look forward to regular visits, so we can exchange knowledge, experience and ideas much more effectively. I will also ensure that we continue to promote our integration with the local communities here in China.”

Cathy brings to the role a wealth of experience in a range of fields.  She started her career as an electronics technician, working for the Department of Defense at the Garden Island Dockyard in Sydney. From there, Cathy moved into technical writing, project management, training design, computer based training development, a brief period in recruitment and technology product advertising, and later into roles including Operations Manager and Marketing Manager with Scientific Management Associates, a private company involved in integrated logistics support.

In 2006, Cathy and her husband decided to give up the city life in Sydney, moving to a rural property at Halfway Creek (situated between Grafton and Coffs Harbour).

“We basically decided to retire early and enjoy our tree change.  We didn’t plan to look for work but would take opportunities if they came along.  After a period of time, a neighbour who was working at the Costa Berry farm at Corindi told me there was some work going and I started there working in recruitment and helping with inductions,” Cathy said.

That role led to various other work with Costa, starting with the Variety Improvement Program (VIP), which develops new blueberry varieties and licenses them around the globe.

Cathy continued to take on new opportunities and challenges, developing a deep knowledge of the Costa business and earning her stripes working up the ladder from administrative roles, to project leadership and management roles.

In 2016, Cathy took on the role of IP, Licensing and Administration Manager for Berries International, which includes the berry farms in China and Morocco. Again demonstrating the breadth of her ability, Cathy’s role was expanded to incorporate international human resources and safety functions in 2019.

In June of 2022, Cathy was appointed General Manager of the Costa China operations.

“I’ve had a long association with the China team, with regular short-term visits plus a period of around five months as acting General Manager,” she said.

“It’s a challenge for anyone to relocate to a new country and adapt to a new culture, but my earlier experiences helped me prepare for the leap.”

Making the move in the middle of the COVID pandemic posed additional challenges, with a total of six weeks full and partial quarantine before she was able to settle into to her new home.

And with China taking a zero-tolerance approach to COVID, there are still a number of challenges including health and travel code requirements, numerous checkpoints to navigate, and regular PCR testing before travel within the country.

Despite the hurdles, Cathy is extremely positive about both her role and the China business.

“I have always had a place in my heart for the China operations. It’s a great team and a great business, and there are huge opportunities here given the demand for fresh, healthy berries”.

“I have always felt very welcome here. I have found all the people I interact with are very kind and open, and it’s an enjoyable culture to work in.”

Cathy said she was grateful to be given new opportunities and that her skills have been recognised.

“The opportunities are there if you are willing to take a chance. My whole career has been driven by a love of learning and an insatiable curiosity. I have had plenty of opportunities, and I have been blessed to have the ability and willingness to pursue them. You need to believe in yourself and have the confidence to try new things.”

She said her mother, only the second woman to be accepted into a degree at Cambridge University in England, who then went on to get her Master’s degree in science and work in metallurgy research, was also an incredible role model.

As Costa’s first female general manager, Cathy is hopeful she too can provide inspiration, but not just for women in agriculture.

“Diversity isn’t only about objective, measurable things like gender, ethnicity , age etc.. It’s also about backgrounds, experiences, communication styles, intellectual diversity and so on.  People are the most important part of our business and wide diversity brings real riches to any organisation.”

Costa has been subjected to a malicious and sophisticated IT phishing attack.

The attack occurred on 21^st August 2022 and an intensive recovery and detailed review in conjunction with external IT security consultants of the incident commenced from this date.

As a result of this we have now established that access to data was confined to a single server at the Costa Corindi (NSW) site, which holds data for the berry category, and that only approximately 10% of the data on the Corindi file server was accessed.

These protective actions slowed operations, requiring the use of manual workarounds at certain sites and delayed some deliveries.  The impacts have largely subsided as we have restored the majority of our network and systems and there was no loss of data, and no material impact to operations, or earnings.

Although only approximately 10% of the data on the file server was accessed it is not clear what specific data was accessed due to the hacker encrypting their downloads.

Much of the information that was stored on the server is not personal information, however there is a risk that personal sensitive information of workers on Costa’s Australian berry farms may have been accessed.  To date, there is no evidence that any personal information has been leaked or uploaded to any sites.

This includes employees directly hired by Costa’s berry category since 2013 or provided by labour hire organisations since 2019.

This sensitive information may include the following:

• Passport details
• Birth Certificate
• Travel documents
• Australian Citizenship Certificate
• Bank details
• Superannuation details
• Tax File Numbers (TFN)

This information was collected in the first instance to satisfy certain laws relating to the employment of citizens and non-citizens and has been retained as per relevant record retention requirements.

Costa has notified the relevant authorities of this attack, including the Australian Cyber Security Centre and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Costa has taken steps to protect against any further malicious attack, including limiting traffic to servers, increasing the level of end point protection and scheduling additional employee training relating to phishing and social engineering practices.

To minimise impact to individuals from the attack, we have been and continue to conduct continuous monitoring of the dark web to detect if any information from the server has been posted.

We can confirm to date, that we have not identified the publication of any such information.

We recommend that people who may be affected take precautionary measures to reduce the risk of their data being used unlawfully.

Examples of such measures include:

• Notifying your bank about the incident to ensure that extra checks are done by your bank.
• Notifying your bank/financial institution of any suspect transactions.
• Notifying your telecom provider to ensure they make you aware of any requests to redirect your phone calls/messages to reduce unauthorised attempts to bypass multi-factor authentication.
• Obtaining periodic credit checks to monitor for suspicious activity. Further information on credit checks can be obtained at https://www.idcare.org/fact-sheets/credit-reports-australia.
• Changing your email passwords.
• Enable Multi Factor Authentication on any sensitive accounts you may have such as banking and financial institutions.
• Changing any PIN/password for accounts that includes part or all of the data that may have been accessed (eg. Birth date in password, street address in password etc.).
• Notifying the Australian Federal Police if you suspect you have been subject to identity theft.
• Contact the Australian Taxation Office Client Identity Support Centre if you suspect the misuse of a TFN.

Costa Group Interim CEO Harry Debney noted –

 “This is a malicious attack, which was sophisticated in its execution.  Our first concern is for the impact this may have on our current and former employees.  With this firmly in mind, we continue to do everything we can to minimise any adverse consequences and to strengthen our cyber security protections.  I can also confirm that no core business applications were accessed, nor was any customer or supplier data comprised by the attack.”

Costa understands that what has occurred may cause concern and uncertainty, which is why we have set up a dedicated number to contact for any potentially impacted workers who may have questions or concerns about this incident.

The number is 1300 282 470 and will operate for the next month from the date of this statement.  It is available to contact Monday to Friday, between the hours of 9am to 5pm (AEDT).  If dialling this number, please select option 1.

Queries can also be emailed to cybersecurity@costagroup.com.au

We sincerely apologise to any one affected and are committed to minimising the impacts of this event and ensuring that similar events do not occur in the future.

General enquiries about this statement contact Michael Toby: +613 8363 9071

A project to commemorate Frank Costa AO and contribute to biodiversity across Costa farms has started, with trees planted at our farms in the Sunraysia region.

The project grew out of Costa’s inaugural Sustainability Prize and the Well Grown Seed Fund, which encourages people across the business to submit their ideas for sustainability projects.

Chris Potgieter, Agricultural Technician in Mildura, proposed an idea that each site or office in Australia should plant one to three trees each year in honour of Frank Costa AO. The idea was that trees could be planted each year to recognise everything Frank has done for the fresh produce industry and all Costa employees. It was also a way to increase biodiversity across the Costa sites and create awareness of the importance of trees.

This week, three trees were planted at the Colignan Farm and three at the Trentham Farm, with a plaque commemorating Frank Costa with the words ‘Planted in memory of Frank Costa AO, a champion of the people. Greatly admired and respected within Costa Group and the fresh produce industry’. The trees are Lophostemon Confertus – an evergreen, a conscious selection in honour of keeping the memory of Frank Costa AO alive year round.  

Tree planting programs are now planned for other Costa sites, including Nangiloc and the tomato glasshouses in Guyra.

Frank Costa passed away on May 2, 2021. He is remembered as a champion of the people, living by the mantra of ‘hire for character, train for skill’.

Costa Group, Australia’s leading grower, marketing and producer of fresh fruit and vegetables, has issued an urgent plea for the Albanese Government to prioritise export market access for horticultural products into key markets.

Sean Hallahan, Costa CEO and Managing Director, said lack of access to key markets, especially Japan for Australia’s avocados was affecting the entire industry.

“It is vitally important for the new Albanese government to prioritise export market access for horticultural products into key markets, most prominently Japan,” Mr Hallahan said.

Japan imports huge volumes of avocados principally from South America, and small volumes from Western Australia. The majority of Australian avocados are however grown in Queensland, which is prevented from exporting to Japan due to Queensland Fruit Fly.

“A whole of government approach is urgently needed to gain access to Japan for eastern seaboard (QLD/NSW) grown avocados. If this can occur, then together with the access Western Australia currently has to Japan, it will provide Australian avocado growers an opportunity to supply the Japanese market on an almost year-round basis, something that no other country can do,” he said.

“Disappointingly, this is an opportunity that through lack of urgent action from government continues to go begging. I encourage both the Federal Agriculture and Trade Ministers to work together to address this issue as a matter of absolute urgency for the greater good of the avocado industry, and the economic sustainability of regional and rural communities where avocados are grown.”

Mr Hallahan said other countries, including Peru, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Canada, Mexico and the United States had successfully gained access to China and other south east Asian countries for their fresh produce.

“The common denominator at play here appears to be that these countries take a whole of government approach to trade access negotiations.”

From its roots in the Riverland region of Australia, the Vitor brand is known around the globe for its quality premium fresh produce.

Vitor originated 50 years ago as a marketing company for growers in the Renmark region, in South Australia.

Today, Vitor is one of Costa Group’s premium brands, with exports of citrus and grapes to key markets including the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Costa is Australia’s leading citrus grower and marketer with farms in the Riverland in South Australia, Sunraysia in Victoria, and in Emerald and Dimbulah in Queensland.

Elliot Jones, General Manager of Costa’s Trees and Vines category (incorporating citrus, grapes, avocados and bananas) said Vitor’s success over 50 years was a testament to the passion and experience of the people involved in growing, packing and marketing the fruit.

“From the very beginning, the number one priority has always been to provide the highest quality produce,” Elliot said.

“Over the years we have established long-term relationships with all our stakeholders including importers, distributors, and retailers. We have maintained a strong focus on the end consumers’ needs and requirements, particularly regarding quality.”

The brand began as the Vitor Citrus Co-operative (Renmark) Ltd, which was incorporated in 1972 with eight members. Its major shareholder in the early days was Yandilla Park Ltd, a company founded by Andrew Weigall.

The citrus operations at the heart of Vitor were established in the early 1970s and the first packing shed for Yandilla Park was built in 1972 on the outskirts of the town of Renmark. Andrew, who led the development of Yandilla Park Ltd, was driven by his passion for producing premium fruit and was known for pioneering new techniques and innovative horticultural practices.

By 2002, Yandilla Park properties covered 765 hectares of planted citrus, 150 hectares of wine grapes and 51 hectares of avocados. A major upgrade to the packing shed was also opened.

Coming under Costa ownership in 2006, the Riverland operations now include six farms and three packing sheds, growing oranges, mandarins as well as grapefruit, lemons, limes and avocados.

Today, Costa’s produce represents 55% of Australia’s citrus exports. Under the Vitor brand, Costa also produces table grapes which are exported to a range of Asian countries including Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, South Korea.

Throughout Vitor’s 50-year history, innovation and a commitment to quality have remained cornerstones of the brand.

“Our competitive advantages in scale of supply, packing operation, genetics, global network of customers and markets with leading B2B brands have helped us to achieve exceptional export results, particularly in the Asian markets,” Elliot said.

“We are continually looking at new varieties, to ensure we meet the need for current and future demand, and we are continuing to invest to drive higher levels of agronomic performance and optimisation in yield and quality.

“As we celebrate the past 50 years, we are also looking to the future and cementing our position as the leading individual citrus grower, packer and exporter in Australia.”

In a world first, Costa is working with Israeli company Arugga AI Farming to deploy robotic pollination for truss tomato plants at its tomato glasshouse operation in Guyra, NSW.

Pollination in glasshouses around the world is generally done using bumblebees, however their use is banned in Australia. That means the pollination process is done by hand.

In this commercial deployment, robotic pollinators drive along the rows, find flowers that are ready for pollination using artificial intelligence and send air pulses to vibrate the flowers in a specific manner which imitates buzz pollination as performed by bumblebees.

Take a look at the robots in action in the video below.

As Australia’s leading producer of fresh fruit and vegetables and with international operations in China and Morocco, ensuring human rights are not only protected but also taking action to prevent modern slavery is fundamental to our business.

Our second Modern Slavery Statement, covering the financial year ending on 26 December 2021, outlines both the activity and progress we have made to mitigate, address and where possible improve our approach to human rights and modern slavery risks within our operation and across our supply chain.

While the global pandemic continued to disrupt and present new challenges in 2021, we remained committed to developing and enhancing the processes, policies, and actions we have in place to protect human rights. In our Australian partner grower base, for example, 98% were registered on Sedex in 2021 during their supply season.

Our key actions this year have included increased emphasis on identification of high-risk suppliers and remediation where issues arise, both within our own operations and in our supply chain.

We are focused on developing systems to measure our effectiveness and have dedicated new resources, such as a Group People Assurance Manager, to assist in this process. We have also put in place a multi-disciplinary working group to oversee our Modern Slavery response, which has made steady progress in education and training across the business.

We look forward to building on the actions outlined in this statement.

Costa Berries Tasmania in partnership with Driscoll’s Australia is undertaking a commercial trial of a new super sweet strawberry variety, Driscoll’s Zara.

Costa Berries Tasmania Regional Manager Cameron Folder said: “The Zara variety of strawberry has been in production at our East Devonport strawberry farm as an on-farm commercial trial since the start of our berry season.”

Marketed as “Driscoll’s Sweetest Batch”, the strawberry is a premium variety that delivers a sweeter and stronger flavour.

It was first commercialised in the United Kingdom in 2017 and has won several international awards due to its taste and quality.

Internationally, Driscoll’s Zara is sold as a premium variety in Europe, the Middle East, Canada and China.

Zara consistently scores better in quality tests for its appearance, taste, and texture.

Costa currently has close to one hectare of land under production of the Driscoll’s Zara variety with discussions under way to expand production on Costa’s strawberry farms and other Driscoll’s growers’ farms in North and North West Tasmania.

As a commercial trial, limited quantities of “Sweetest Batch” strawberries can be purchased from Woolworths supermarkets in larger urban centres in Hobart and Launceston. They are also sold interstate through a small number of Coles and Woolworths stores in Victoria.

The trial also extends to a select number of Sydney market agents for the independent sector.

“Production of the Zara strawberry represents an exciting opportunity for Tasmania’s berry industry,” Mr Folder said.

As a premium variety, there is potential to add value to the state’s berry crop and continue the industry’s growth as a significant contributor to Tasmania’s export income.

A report produced by Deloitte Access Economics, ‘The economic contribution of the Tasmanian fresh produce sector’ in December 2020, estimated the Tasmanian berry industry as worth around $200 million per annum; greater than the apple and cherry industry combined.

Costa is the largest producer of berries in Tasmania. At peak harvest this season, Costa employed over 560 locals injecting more than $1 million in wages on a weekly basis into the local economy.

The business also invests over $44 million in local goods and services each year, indirectly supporting hundreds of other local jobs.