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A family-owned and operated Australian business, specialising in growing a wide variety of grapes, while developing our own export marketing business.
Alpha Fresh Australia (formerly known as V & P Cirillo & Sons), is a recently formed business founded by Vince and Patricia Cirillo and operated by the 3rd and 4th generation of the Cirillo Family in Mildura. Our grandfather together with his father migrated here in the ‘40s, post WW2, and like many others, found their way to Mildura, where they worked on various farms until finally, they were able to put a deposit down to buy their own fruit block.
The family originally cultivated grapes for dried raisin production until the ‘80s, when Vince and the family had the foresight to go into table grape production. A key driver for this was that table grapes were a lot more lucrative at the time compared to the raisin industry. It was an industry that had a lot of growth ahead of it, with table grape growing being rewarding for those who are perfectionists. Before long they established a good reputation for high-quality grapes, and were amongst the frontrunners in the trade into the European market, while also developing quite a strong hold on the NZ market for quite some time. In the late ‘80s, the family expanded and made the move to 3512 Benetook Avenue, where they still operate from today. This is the current hub of the business, which includes their packhouse, warehouse, cool rooms and offices.
We own as well as manage various farms, being mostly table grapes. We have developed our own export marketing business, and have a great relationship with many other growers – we have handled their produce on the export scene for many years now.
A major breakthrough was obtaining a licence to grow and market the ARRA table grape varieties, which has been something recent and very exciting for us. We are currently putting a lot of energy and investment into building this program of varieties up, as we see huge potential based on quality, appearance, taste and timing, which is going to change the game somewhat in Sunraysia’s harvest calendar.
Currently we only own and operate conventional farms, however we are also considering developing an organic arm of the business, as it seems to be a growing market. Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of organics, so we see this as a great opportunity in the future.
We are very unique compared to other table grape producers;
With over 40 years’ experience, Vince is the founder of our business. He has extensive knowledge and skill in all areas relevant to what we do. He has set a strong foundation together with his wife Patricia, who have both spent a lifetime building and investing heavily into our business. This has enabled us to go from strength to strength each year.
Anthony, Bruno and Mark have been involved in our business since their childhood.
While all three brothers are across all areas of our business, including strategic growth, marketing, technical, compliance and cultivation, they also have their own area of specialty. With the ability to cover all aspects of our business so thoroughly, our marketing arm continues to grow, with great success both on the domestic and export scene. Our brand receives considerable recognition due to the high-quality fruit produced on our farms.
Matt has worked for us on and off over the years, joining our team full-time in 2018. He looks after the admin, quality assurance, compliance and logistics/dispatch side of our business, as well as anything IT related. He is also a huge support to Anthony in marketing, document preparation and maintaining help and support to our customers.
Alessandro has been part of our team since 2016. Originating from Milan, Italy, he travelled to Australia in search of work whilst holidaying, and decided to stay with us permanently. He has completed studies in Production Horticulture and is involved in every hands-on aspect of the business, working alongside all members of our team.
Alpha Fresh Australia are an Australian leader in grape produce. Alpha Fresh Australia currently grow a wide variety of grapes within various seasons, along with new varieties coming up in the near future.