On The Land
7 August, 2024
Pinata inducted into business hall of fame
THE company behind Mareeba’s only pineapple farm has been inducted into Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame for outstanding leadership and innovation in Australia’s food production industry spanning more than 60 years.
Fourth-generation farming business Piñata Farms, which pioneered pineapple production in the Mareeba area, started with a single 26-hectare pineapple farm, growing fresh and cannery fruit at Wamuran, north of Brisbane in the 1960s.
Today, it is Australia’s largest pineapple producer, and a leading multi-fruit producer, growing strawberries, raspberries and Honey Gold mangoes over more than 1,000 hectares around Australia.
It employs some 200 people at any given time and is owned and operated by the Scurr family, led by brothers Gavin and Stephen. Other members of the Scurr family work throughout the business.
Accepting the award at a gala dinner at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, managing director Gavin Scurr congratulated all past and present inductees, and acknowledged their contribution to Queensland.
“We are humbled and honoured to be recognised in such esteemed company,” he said.
“We have farms around Australia now, but our homes and hearts are, and always will be in Queensland. It’s a great state to live and work in and we’re proud to be Queensland farmers.
“We appreciate the solid foundation and the values that our parents Geoff and Narelle set for our family in the 1960s, passed on from our grandparents before them.
“Even from a very young age it was instilled in us to focus on quality and do things right the first time. Those same values are now part of our wider company culture and it’s a foundation the next generation can build on.”
Mr Scurr paid tribute to all Piñata Farms employees who have contributed to the company’s growth, success and reputation in the fresh produce industry.
