Passionate frozen berry producers win excellence award

written by Ashleigh Howarth
for published article click Here

My Berries in Caboolture South has taken home the top gong at this year’s Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards in the Award for Food and Agribusiness Category. 

Now in its fifth year, the 2022 Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements of Moreton Bay businesses and individuals.

My Berries Founder Stuart McGruddy accepted the award at the gala ceremony, which was held on Friday at the Eatons Hill Hotel.

Stuart said taking out the top prize meant a lot to him and his wife, Allison.

"It's fantastic to get some recognition from the community for the hard work and effort we are putting in," Stuart said. 

"It also means so much that we can drive our business forward knowing we have that support of the community. 

"Moreton Bay is a fantastic incubator for small business. It's a great place to come, learn, grow, and find great staff and a great team. 

"The support from MBRIT (Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism) in particular have been fantastic."

Stuart also said Moreton Bay was a great place to live and "that I wouldn't want to live anywhere else". 

More about My Berries

My Berries was founded in 2015 and produces safe and sustainably sourced frozen and freeze dried Australian soft fruits.

Stuart and Allison source, process and pack soft fruits in peak season to offer consumers quality Australian grown fruit all year round.

Stuart is a second generation berry producer, while Allison holds a Master of Science in regulation.

After seeing lots of berries being dumped over the fence to the cows next door, Allison started freezing them to ensure they didn’t go to waste.

Today, My Berries has a strong presence in the retail and food manufacturing sector. Their frozen range is stocked in over 1100 independent grocers, with exports to Singapore, UAE and Brunei.

About the awards

Now in its fifth year, the Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards are the region's leading and premier awards program.

About 480 people attended the event on Friday during which the winners of 15 categories and Business of the Year were announced.

There were 68 finalists, and the winners were decided by a panel of 44 judges from a mix of public and private sector organisations from across South East Queensland.

The 2022 Moreton Bay Business and Innovation Awards were presented by Moreton Bay Regional Council and delivered by Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT).