Popular Port Macquarie fruit farmers Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries have launched into online sales of their award-winning preserves range. The farm is a Hastings household name, supplying fresh tomatoes and strawberries to district homes and local fruiterers and restaurants. Its tomatoes have been awarded best in the Sydney Royal Easter Show exhibits for the past two years running. “We’re hoping to make it a trifecta when judging for 2011 takes place in about eight weeks’ time,” Ricardoes co-owner Anthony Sarks said.
“But at the moment we’re pretty excited about one of the other arms to our business, our preserves, and the success it’s having. “Public response to the preserves, made from our own farm produce, has been awesome, so much so that we’ve found it necessary to answer demand to make the range available by mail order from February 1. “From our foundation products of basil and pasta sauce and strawberry jam just a couple of years ago we’ve regularly grown our list to a total of 25 products of both pantry essentials and some more exotic gourmet lines. “That number rises to 60 if you include all the possible combinations of our new line of mini products, in a tasting or sampler size, introduced just before Christmas.
“There are five of our most popular products in the mini range. Customers can select any three of them, presented in triple gift-packs we’re calling Ricardoes Trios. They flew off the shelves as keenly priced gifts and souvenirs during the festive and holiday season and visitors asked where they could get hold of supplies once they returned home.
“Locally, customers can pick them up from among the full range of items available only at the farm, along with our other best-price produce, or we have a number of loyal outlets in town and around the region stocking both tomatoes and a selection of preserves.”
The farm’s two newest lines are a fresh tomato puree and a rich tomato paste at $5 each from the farm or online. They follow two gourmet lines, a strawberry finishing vinegar and olive tapenade, created late last year. The tapenade, or olive paste, was so immediately popular Ricardoes has responded to calls for it to be available also in a larger size.
“Our preserves eat up very few food miles, being created right here in a new industrial kitchen owned and operated by The Other Chef’s Eric Robinson,” Anthony Sarks said. “The range has won all sorts of national fine food awards, which is a real tribute to our farm workers and our manufacturer.
“They might eat up a few more food miles now we’ll be posting them around the countryside and interstate, but the bonus is that expanded sales mean more jobs locally and a boost to our regional economy. We also strongly support local tourism and fresh produce promotional campaigns like Journey of Flavour run by private enterprise and the council.
“An important point about our website and new online sales is that we hope soon to have a simple third-party facility where Hastings residents can order and pay online and have us post some local Ricardoes’ products on their behalf to friends and relatives anywhere in Australia.”
Ricardoes Online can be accessed at www.ricardoes.com, click on Online Ordering.Friday, 4/2/11
Port PR
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