An Italian migrant family, a glasshouse in Buronga, and three brothers who chose citrus. This is how four generations built Simfresh — together.
Nonno Larry arrived from southern Italy in 1952. Before long he left a production-line job in Adelaide for the Sunraysia growing region, where the family grew tomatoes and capsicums under glass on their Buronga property. Four boys grew up there — going to school by day and helping in the glasshouses at night.
With Joe leading and Tony and Mario alongside, the family moved from vegetables to citrus. In 1991 they opened a small packing shed in Gol Gol, packing around 150 boxes a week and driving the fruit to the Melbourne Market themselves. Ellen and Carmel kept the packing machine running — and the next generation grew up in prams on the shed floor.
Scroll through the moments that shaped the business.
Larry joined the shed first, bringing new varieties, machinery and post-harvest ideas. Amanda studied international business and now has more than two decades of export experience. Luke brought operational know-how from the Sydney markets and new systems to run the business, while Jonathon supports export logistics.