The last few weeks have been bananas for the Global Axis team, with both Carmine and Michael travelling to the Gold Coast for the BerryQuest International 2022 Conference. The BerryQuest Conference is an initiative organised by Berries Australia, with the aim to bring the berry community together both at a national and international level.  

The purpose of the conference is to be able to share the latest innovations, research, growing techniques and much more within the community. This year it was held at Sea World Resort & Conference Centre and ran over 4 days, from the 25^th to the 28^th of July. After it not running for a few years due to the pandemic, we were excited to finally be able to attend this year’s event.

Over the 4 days we got to hear from a number of guest speakers who shared their knowledge on a vast range of topics. To kick off the conference, we heard from Soren Bjorn (President of Driscoll’s America), Juan Ignacio Allende (CEO of Hortifrut South America) and Peter McPherson, (Berries Australia Chairman) on the current state of the berry industry. We then heard from other experts in the field talk about pest and disease, optimising production, and current challenges and opportunities within the industry.

The sessions concluded with industry experts giving their take on the future of berries. Listening to these experts over the 4 days share their wealth of knowledge was a great experience.

Aside from the guest speakers and information sessions, there was also a trade show featuring dozens of exhibitors. We enjoyed walking around these stalls and catching up with so many passionate people from the industry.

On the last day of the conference, we visited the Taste N See Berry Farm for a tour. The tour was run by irrigation technician Arman and we were able to walk the grounds whilst hearing about their transition from growing in the ground to using substrates and their attempt to be more sustainable. We also got to taste fresh strawberries and talk with passionate farmer,s which was a great way to conclude the 4 days.

Through an exclusive distributorship with Europe’s largest growing media supplier, Kekkilä-BVB, Global Axis can now access their high-quality range of substrates to grow healthy and strong berry plants with high-quality yields.

If you are a grower looking to purchase, please visit contact us: Contact – Global Axis or call (08) 8277 1040 .