Griffith-based Redbelly Blood Oranges has been forced to pull its direct delivery services due to rising courier costs. Photo: Redbelly Blood Oranges.
Griffith-based fruit producer Redbelly Blood Oranges has had to pull one of its most popular services as national couriers deal with the impact of rising fuel costs.
Customers across the country had been using a delivery service that allowed fruit from the Griffith producers to be delivered straight to their door instead of through markets or shopfronts.
Through an announcement on its social media, Redbelly Blood Oranges confirmed the service will no longer be provided, as a single box delivery would cost more than $70 if the service were to continue.
Redbelly also confirmed that due to the difficulties with couriers, it is unlikely fruit will continue to be sold from its website at all, with it to instead be sold via partnering shops.
Redbelly Blood Oranges director Len Mancini said the company had worked hard at building its online business over the past five years; however, due to the hit to the delivery service, it had all but been undone.
“We were delivering up and down the east coast from Cairns all the way down to the Mornington Peninsula,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we’ve just been squeezed over the last two seasons with these fuel levies to the point where the deliveries are just getting too expensive.
“We had to put up our prices last year, and that pretty much resulted in sales going backwards, and this year it’s just become unviable completely.
“We had to make the unfortunate decision to cease the online sales direct to customers, which was a real shame because that was a fantastic way of engaging with our customer base. That was a direct line of communication and feedback.”
Mr Mancini said the couriers allowed the company to reach regional markets it would not normally be able to transport to, which was its preference over delivery to stores such as Coles and Woolworths.
“What this allowed us to do was to really reach into those regions and satisfy that demand for premium quality product direct from the farm,” he said.
“That’s not the case with normal sales to stores. I can tell you, last year we had one case where our fruit went from Sydney to Brisbane to Melbourne before being shipped back to Sydney and eventually through to Cairns.
“That was one shipment. It was an absolute merry-go-round. It really is frustrating that we’re losing that direct shipment, because ultimately, that was the best way to get the freshest product.”
Mr Mancini said customers across the country had reached out to express their disappointment.
“We’ve got people that have been buying our fruit by the box multiple times a year, multiple times a season, often multiple boxes per order, that are just really devastated that they’re not going to be able to get them anymore,” he said.
“I know that some are still managing to find them in very dedicated ways. For instance, this morning, I got a message from someone on Facebook saying they managed to get to Rocklea Markets in Brisbane, and get some oranges directly from your wholesale agents.
“That’s a pretty mean feat, as members of the public aren’t allowed into the market.”
Mr Mancini said Redbelly was still committed to delivering quality fruit despite the cut to direct services and thanked those who continued to support the business.
“I can certainly tell that people are, you know, really missing the service because they’re literally telling me on a daily basis,” he said.
“While we can’t deliver to them directly at the moment, we are going to continue providing the best fruit we possibly can.
“We know that people around Australia love our blood oranges and it’s only fair that we continue to give them the quality they expect when they see the name Redbelly.”
To learn more about where Redbelly Blood Oranges stocks its fruit, visit its website.
