A firestorm in 2019 destroyed hundreds of avocado trees on a Mid-North Coast organic farm.
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The recovery process has just received a boost.
Red Plateau Organic Produce's Mooral Creek property lost about 40 per cent of its orchards or about 700 trees due to fire in 2019.
Sandra Fishwick from Red Plateau Organic Produce said the ground was shaking when the fire moved through the property.
"When it hit, everything just exploded and it just seeded the whole farm," she said.
The avocado trees bore the brunt of the destruction.
A $500,000 grant from the Woolworths Organic Growth Fund will help the business rebuild and recover from the bushfire, ensure water security and invest in increased avocado production with a new cool room and a cherry picker for harvesting.
The grant will also allow Red Plateau Organic Produce to fast-track its expansion plans across two properties at Comboyne and Mooral Creek.
Orchards will be expanded at both locations.
The aim is to stock the orchards with different avocado varieties to secure supply 10 to 12 months of the year.
Red Plateau Organic Produce was founded by Ms Fishwick, a long-time organic grower who began producing organic vegetables in the 1980s.
Ms Fishwick has since introduced new crops, including 3000 avocado plantings, and manages the business with her sons, Joey and Carl Hanly, across the two properties.
They describe themselves as "organic pioneers".
"We didn't want to use chemicals and we wanted to preserve the soil," Ms Fishwick said.
"There was no question about it - there was no consideration to be conventional, as in using sprays."
Representatives from Woolworths, along with Lyne MP Dr David Gillespie, were among those to visit the Comboyne property for the grant announcement on Monday (May 17).
Dr Gillespie thanked Woolworths for recognising the Comboyne brand of produce was second to none.
The grant also marks the beginning of Red Plateau Organic Produce supplying its avocados directly to Woolworths.
Woolworths general manager of fruit and vegetables Paul Turner said organic fruit and vegetables were appealing to a growing number of Australians, so they were partnering with farmers to provide the boost they needed to expand production and keep up with demand in the years ahead.
He said Woolworths was pleased to play a part in not just restoring the avocado orchard but helping the family build back better for the long term.
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