Our mission is to exceed the expectations of our customers through our commitment to customer service and the production of premium quality produce delivered through sustainable growing practices.
Our expert technical teams and our growers are constantly working toward how we can further improve our processes that ensure we protect our environment for the future.
Some great examples of our efforts in this area of our business include:
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Hydroponics
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Potatoes
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Bananas
Hydroponics
Hydroponics is the fastest growing food sector in Australia, for Moraitis it is the future of growing many fruits and vegetables including tomatoes which is where our current majority investment rests.
Hydroponics is the production of crops in an isolated and protected environment, in our case our environment is glasshouses. Crops are grown without soil which means no weeds and this means fewer diseases and what would otherwise mean soil dilapidation pressures on the land.
Hydroponic growing also deliveries huge savings through water and energy efficiencies, we can also grow more with less inputs and that’s why we call our tomatoes “clean-green”.
The controlled glasshouse environment allows our team to manage pests and disease using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technology. IPM use means a healthy ecology of the glasshouses that allows beneficial insects to survive and in return they control other unwanted pests.
Moraitis is proud of its effort in adopting IPM into our glasshouses which ensures we are providing our customers with a safe product from a sustainable production system.
Potatoes
We have potato farms and growers situated across Australia to allow us to grow with the seasons year round providing the freshest product possible. One of our farms, Oakville based on the Murray River in South Australia is leading the way when it comes to sustainability.
The farm and its team are committed to the responsible use of natural resources that enable the operation to be a success.
Management practices include the application of proven sustainable agricultural practices on our farmed land, this means we work to preserve and improve soil fertility and nutrients, minimising soil loss through erosion through planting native bushland corridors. Preservation practices also mean we avoid soil damage, disease and contamination.
Taking the right steps to ensure a sustainable future
- Inclusion of cover crops such as wheat/barley in rotation and establishment of potato crops to reduce top soil erosion and to maintain land viability.
- Using global position system technology to guide tractors through pivots enabling deep ripping under rows for greater root surface area increasing both water and nutrient use, furthermore this increases land utilisation.
- Combining moisture monitoring technology, physically undertaking daily checks for on demand crop requirements applied through efficient telemetry controlled pivot irrigation.
- Packing facility that has its own water treatment infrastructure enabling us to recycle all daily water used in the potato washing process.
Furthermore, Oakville has directly invested in the development of new potato varieties and the introduction of latest breeding technologies that are best adapted to Australia’s diverse climate with the mission to improve the quantity and quality of field yields with less inputs.
Bananas
Currently Moraitis has over 50 bananas growers sending to us, collectively they farm just over 20,000 hectares. Moraitis as a business owns and operates 4,000 hectares.
80% of our growers are all long term partners and the Moraitis team works closely with them to produce better outcomes for a sustainable future.
The majority of our banana growers are based inland from Cairns in Far North Queensland, this part of Australia boasts an amazing environment including the Great Barrier Reef which is something our growers are focused on protecting for generations to come.
Many growers in this area are part of the Reef Guardian Farmer program, the programs key objective is to manage the natural resources for long-term viability and a productive environment recognising that sustainable practices are economically viable as well as environmentally sound.
Some efforts include
- Building of water catchment areas to avoid soil run offs
- Efficient management of water resources to ensure clean and healthy catchments
- Efficient management of energy systems minimise greenhouse gas emissions
- Maintaining healthy soils through wise mineral and nutrient management
- Sustaining the functions of natural areas, wetlands and forests on properties
- Installing global positioning systems in tractors to streamline planting
- Installing trickle irrigation technology to reduce water use