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Nerada Tea has Buy Queensland in the bag

Published: 
25 September 2020 3:04PM

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I'm Tony from Nerada Tea here on the Atherton Tablelands.

We supply Australia's freshest tea.

Nerada Tea is very famous in the far north.

We've got 360 hectares here and we're producing something 7 million kilos of green leaf.

There's no pesticide and it's a world class product.

To be able to sell our products into those supply chains for the Queensland Government departments is really important to us.

In 2018 we had a crippling year where production was knocked out for about a 6-month period.

It was quite a big disaster for us. It was a million-dollar loss.

But we kept everyone employed.

Our people are our business.

As Australia’s largest tea grower, Queensland Government supplier, Nerada Tea, is a Far North Queensland success story.

This directory helps government buyers and Queenslanders find Queensland businesses who employ locals and grow, make or produce products in our state.

Nerada Tea is served in Queensland Government owned hospitals and at the Cairns Convention centre.

On 360 hectares in the Atherton Tablelands, Nerada Tea grow and process 7 million kilograms of green leaf a year. That’s 750 million cups of tea. Their products includes tea bags, loose leaf tea, green tea and organic herbal infusions.

Despite competing with multinationals, Nerada Tea, has thrived over the last 49 years. Plantation  Director, Tony Poyner, is proud of the product Nerada produces.

“It’s world-class and pesticide free. We have achieved Rainforest alliance certification,” said Tony.

“We are environmentally sustainable. We reapply all our waste as a compost or fertiliser”.

Nerada Tea employs 87 Queenslanders — 24 in North Queensland and 63 in Brisbane. Even in tough times, Nerada Tea has stuck by their employees.

“In 2018, we had a crippling year where production was knocked out for a six month period.”

“It was quite a big disaster for us, but we kept everyone employed. Our people are our business”.

Nerada Tea also support Queensland businesses along the supply chain.

“Our boxes and tea bag tags are produced in Queensland,” said Tony.

“We try to source everything locally”.