The Bud guarantees trust in organics

  • Business: McMahon Bros Orchards
  • Location: Stanthorpe, Queensland
  • Production: Producing apples, pears, strawberries, blackberries, lettuce, celery, broccoli and tomatoes.
  • Markets: Large-scale supermarkets, Sydney and Brisbane fruit and vegetable markets, boutique farmers’ markets

Ensuring every fruit and vegetable box that leaves their Stanthorpe packhouse is stamped with Australian Organic Limited’s The Bud logo underwrites a guarantee of trust between producer McMahon Bros Orchards and their customers.

Paul McMahon, who is fourth generation to the certified organic 323ha enterprise 250km southwest of Brisbane, said their growing buyer base, which includes large-scale supermarkets as well as bespoke farmers’ markets, was searching for certainty when it came to purchasing organic produce.

“For us, The Bud is essential as it gives our distributors and customers confidence in our product,” Mr McMahon said.

“Having The Bud on our produce means we have adhered to clear-cut guidelines from the Australian Certified Organic Standard (ACOS) and undergone regular audits to ensure our produce is up to standard. We are happy to meet these demands as we want to grow and deliver the best quality product possible to our customers.”

Watch the story behind McMahon Bros Orchards

The pressing concern of consumers losing confidence in products labelled ‘organic’ was highlighted in the Australian Organic Market Report 2021, which found 31 per cent of shoppers who purchased an organic product in the past year believe they have previously been misled.

However, this same research championed the trusted Bud logo, which reported recognition among 62 per cent of Australian consumers, proving McMahon Bros Orchards has hit the mark with their product packaging.

The organic journey for the McMahon family started more than 20 years ago when brothers Mal and Jeff, Paul’s father and uncle, were looking for more sustainable production methods.

Although the family unit had been successfully farming since 1925 on Stanthorpe’s easy-draining volcanic sandy soils, which are ideally positioned for apple production 1000 metres above sea level, they felt a shift to organic farming was the best fit for their customer base.

The decision to back the emerging organic industry paid dividends, and the farm has expanded to now also produce pears, with strawberries, blackberries, lettuce, celery, broccoli and tomatoes used as highly-productive rotational crops.

Paul reflected organic farming faced its own unique challenges, particularly during tough climatic conditions like the recent drought, however he firmly believed the extra effort led to better-tasting fruit.

“With our organic apple farming we are harvesting the fruit right when it is ready for picking,” he said.

“We pick our apple crops four times per year, where big conventionally-run farms might only pick them twice per year. Our method means we will never have slightly overripe or underripe fruit in our packhouse, ensuring the sugar levels are ideal and the shelf life is extended.”

Mr McMahon has confidence in Australia’s growing organic sector and feels it is essential for the entire industry to unite behind one logo to avoid shopper confusion.

“The Bud is the most-recognised certified organic symbol in the country, and I think it is the best way for our industry to communicate with our consumers that our products are accredited to the highest standard,” Mr McMahon said.