Gurra Downs Date Company
Gurra Gurra, SA
Pioneer organic date farmers set to increase Australian production
Dave, Anita and their son Shaun Reilly’s Gurra Downs Date Company are the main suppliers of certified organic dates to the Australian market. The certified organic producers believe that the $414,000 grant from the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund will enable them to increase their capacity for organic date production.
The grant will allow a power upgrade to the packhouse along with the installation of equipment to help wash, dry, grade and sort the fruit, which will efficiently handle and value-add their fruit
Established in 1991 alongside the Gurra Gurra Wetlands in the Riverland of South Australia, the family grow date palms, wine grapes and pomegranates and operate a date palm nursery on 800 acres.
“The Woolworths Organic Growth Fund grant will assist us in developing a packing facility with processing equipment that can efficiently handle and value-add our fruit,” Dave said.
“Expanding our production capabilities will see more Australian-grown organic Medjool dates being consumed by Australian families, just like mine,” Dave concluded.