Manna Farm
Investment in organic citrus to bear fruit
Manna Farms is one of Australia’s largest biodynamic producers, growing a variety of citrus fruits, almonds and avocados. Located near the banks of the Murray River in north west Victoria, Manna Farms has been supplying organic oranges, lemons and mandarins to Woolworths since 2012 and has been selected as a recipient of the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund.
David Keens and his brother Rob are fourth generation farmers whose family has successfully grown citrus, avocados and almonds for the last 50 years. Early adopters of organic and biodynamic farming techniques, the family began the transition from conventional farming back in 1989. Today Manna Farms is a leading producer of organic citrus fruits including Navel Oranges, Valencia Oranges, mandarins and lemons which are all supplied directly to Woolworths.
David and Rob applied for the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund to support the purchase of new machinery for the farm which they say will help the company to significantly increase production and reduce packaging.
“We have reached a point in production where the current machinery and technology is holding us back. We made a significant investment in our machinery around 5 years ago, but technology has changed and machinery has become more efficient. The purchase of new machinery will enable us to significantly increase our production capacity by around 70% and also reduce the packaging we use by up to 60%, particularly with our mandarins and lemons, making our whole production process more sustainable,” said David.
“We are grateful to Woolies for their support through the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund. To be able to produce more fruit, more sustainably and at a lower cost to the consumer, is a big deal for us.”