Proudly 100% Australian family owned & operated
The Orchard
The founder of Benyenda Citrus, Walter Benham, planted his first citrus trees in the Gayndah district in 1924 after heading north from his origins in South Australia. Walter was dedicated to developing the Benyenda Orchard, and the greater citrus industry in his time. This drive has passed down through the generations and to this day Benyenda is owned and managed by the Benham families.
Benyenda has changed considerably over the years, the rose nursery that supplied domestic & export markets is long gone, though the sheds still stand amongst the citrus plantings. Mains electricity has replaced the suction gas engine (The engine now resides in the Gayndah Historic Museum display). Engine/PTO driven spray carts have replaced horse drawn ones and no one walks along with a hand wand! The packing shed has integrated computerised grading systems and the fruit no longer leaves for market by rail in wooden boxes.
The Benyenda Orchard sits on the banks of the Burnett River growing approximately 40ha of citrus destined for the domestic and export markets
Benyenda Varieties
Mandarins: Imperial, Royal Honey Murcott, Low Seed Murcott, Honey Murcott, Late Imperial
Lemons
Oranges: Navel
The Packing Shed
The packing shed sits in the middle of the Benyenda orchard, packing fruit from Benyenda, as well as the Top Citrus, Riverton and Feldmans orchards. The combined 170ha of citrus keeps the shed humming through the peak harvest season.
All fruit processed through the packing shed is grown by the extended Benham families and destined for our local domestic markets with agents in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, or for export to markets in Thailand, Indonesia and China. We value our relationships with our agents and customers and strive to supply quality citrus to all.
Each year the mandarins across all 4 orchards that supply the packing shed are maturity tested against the Australian Citrus Standards before picking commences. This looks at the Brix (sugar) content vs Acidity, the attributes that give the fruit flavour. The result gives a good indication of the flavour of the fruit against consumer desire. Despite this process, harvest timing is often dependant on our own (particularly Murray’s) satisfaction when taste testing.
How our fruit finds its way to your table
International
Domestic
Peter Allen
Shaun Calvi
premierfresh.com.au
Con Karanicolos
louismelbourne.com.au
Jason Kelly
allseasonsproduce.com.au