Our Farms

Bananas

Rock Ridge Farming has several banana farms located in the Mareeba and Tolga areas. Banana plants typically take around 11 months to produce a full-sized bunch of bananas. Although we aim to have a constant supply of bananas all year-round, our workload requirements peak during the warmer months of summer. During this period, we employ in excess of 200 people to ensure that we can continue to deliver the best quality bananas to our Australian consumers, on time every time.

Bananas grown on the Atherton Tablelands are known to be sweeter than those grown in other regions. The high altitude of our area combined with the rich, red soil for which the Tablelands are renowned provides the ideal growing conditions for this fruit and many other types of fresh produce.

The main variety of bananas grown by Rock Ridge is the Cavendish banana. This popular variety accounts for 95% of bananas grown and sold in Australia. The creamy, smooth texture of the Cavendish banana makes it a prime candidate for lunchboxes across the country.

We also produce Lady Finger bananas, which are slightly smaller and sweeter than the Cavendish variety. Accounting for only 4% of banana sales across the country, this variety has a unique taste which is slightly more textured than the Cavendish and also has the benefit of a longer shelf-life.

Avocados

We have approximately 50,000 avocado trees spread across 360 hectares, varying from 15 years old to newly planted. As the young trees have not yet reached their peak maturity, we hope to double our production of avocados within the next few years. We typically employ an extra 60-80 staff during the avocado season to help us with all that is required to get the fruit off the trees and ready for the market.

Rock Ridge Farming grows a reasonably even split of the Hass and Shepard avocado varieties. The ever-popular Hass avocado is the most common variety across Australia and can be easily identified by the rough skin that changes from green to dark purple as it ripens. Shepards can be distinguished by their glossy green skin and more elongated shape. The Shepard variety does not turn black when ripe and has been described as having a butter-like texture.

Whether you’re a fan of the Hass or the Shepard, it is undeniable that this versatile and delicious fruit has become a staple in not only Australia, but all over the world and will continue to be enjoyed by consumers well into the future.

Environmental Practices

At Rock Ridge Farming, we know that the decisions we make today will impact the future generations. We believe that farmers have a vital role to play in protecting our environment and strive to continually improve our sustainability practices. Some of our more recent changes include:

  • Installing micro-sprinklers to avoid water run-off and protect local habitats

  • Keeping our paddocks well-grassed to reduce soil erosion

  • Using individual sprinklers under each tree rather than mass-irrigating large blocks of land

  • Swapping out our plastic avocado tray inserts for recyclable paper inserts

  • Using an uncoated, raw cardboard box for avocados as opposed to heavily coloured gloss graphics

  • Recycling all water used within the packing sheds

  • Supplying downgraded bananas to be processed into alternative products, such as banana flour, to reduce waste

  • Mulching the leftover stems of the banana bunches and spreading them under the banana plants to aid with moisture retention and supressing weeds, therefore greatly reducing the need for sprays

  • Bailing our own hay for spreading under avocado trees to supress weeds and reduce the need for sprays

  • The use of digital moisture probes to avoid unnecessary irrigation

At Rock Ridge, we understand the importance of sustainable agriculture and are committed to doing what’s best for Mother Nature.

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