Page 27 - Tropic Magazine Issue 31

TROPIC • BUSINESS

Images: Skybury

Chicken and
papaya korma

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup korma curry paste
500g mashed papaya flesh
400ml coconut milk
2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 sliced red capsicum

Heat oil and curry paste until
fragrant. Add papaya and coconut
milk, bring to the boil, cover and
simmer. Add chicken and wait
until it’s cooked through.
Add red capsicum and cook for
another 2 minutes. Serve with
basmati rice and garnish with
kaffir lime leaves.
Papaya prospers

AGRIBUSINESS
Skybury Coffee’s niche tropical For the family-owned and operated
fruit business is now flourishing business, moving into a niche product
was a decision made easy with the full
thanks to the backing of its local backing of their bank, NAB.
bank.

Skybury Coffee is a brand we’ve all
known and loved for decades and now
the Tablelands plantation’s newest The local team is very
crop – papayas – is becoming just as hands on, approachable but business in general. “NAB’s assistance
popular. Driven by a consistent supply covers a wide variety of industries and
of premium, quality, firm-fleshed and just a joy in their our focus is supporting businesses who
fruit, what was once considered an excitement at being are innovative and have the ability to
exotic tropical fruit is fast becoming a involved adapt to change,” he said. “NAB bankers
supermarket staple. in FNQ enjoy nothing more than visiting
General Manager Candy McLaughlin told Candy McLaughlin clients on farm or at their premises to
Tropic the farm has recently expanded its Skybury General work in conjunction with them to achieve
papaya production. “In the last couple of Manager their goals.”
years, it’s been amazing to see how we’ve With finances taken care of, the Skybury
been able to grow the category and get “They’re very supportive in terms of our team is free to get down to the business
more Aussies interested in putting them growth and they’ve been on board in of farming. Candy McLaughlin said their
in their shopping baskets on a regular allowing us to expand and achieve our café and farm tour operations are also
basis,” she said. “We’ve worked really hard desire to grow,” she said. thriving, thanks in part to the popularity
on getting the quality consistent, we work The leader of that team is Tom of papaya. “Last year, we had the best
on our sugar levels, and we’ve educated Haywood, who told Tropic the bank visitor numbers in seven years and this
people on how to prepare them and how fully understands both challenges and year’s figures looked to exceed that,” she
to store them.” opportunities, not just in rural industries said. “In the past, papayas flew under the
radar but that’s shifted, and people are
now coming to our farm tours knowing
National production growth about the papaya but not the coffee.
We can see that the efforts of Tom and

2019 2020 19 % Dad and everyone to grow the category
is working.”
16 million 19 kilos
million
kilos
Source: Australian Papayas
MORE: nab.com.au

27 • tropicnow.com.au