Innovation

SARDI Innovation Award

Winner: Scalzi Produce

Scalzi Produce supplies wholesale fruit and vegetables to supermarkets and national merchants. They are active in continual product innovation and have recently developed a yellow roma truss tomato. This has provided to the market a new and exclusive product to discerning customers who are health conscious and time poor. Scalzi Produce employs 25 staff and was established in 1972, it is located in the Adelaide Produce Markets.

Scalzi Produce impressed the judges with its new product – Yellow Truss Tomatoes. The product was developed through a logical, thorough and commercially driven innovation framework.

The business recognised an opportunity through exploring world markets, contracted and conducted research and development, developed an intellectual property strategy to protect the opportunity, and developed a whole of chain system through practical collaboration with both small and large business partners.

Scalzi Produce were also able to leverage its existing business knowledge, networks and experience while successfully incorporating new ideas, human resources, business development directions and daily practices into planning and operations. This was all undertaken with a clear strategic recognition that for whole of chain sustainability in the fresh food sector, businesses and supply chain partners must innovate, and continue to innovate.

The innovative approach taken by Scalzi Produce has given them a clear competitive advantage with a unique product, and has positioned the business to continue developing successfully as a result of its proven innovation culture.