Beerenberg CEO on keeping one foot in the strawberry patch

Beerenberg has an origin story most food labels would adore. Its founders, the Paech family, have farmed the same land in Hahndorf, South Australia, for strawberries since 1839, going back six generations. In fact, today, visitors can still buy its selection of jams, chutneys, gourmet relishes and sauces within sight of where the business began. The brand’s growth, however, has changed considerably. What started with a roadside stall now reaches supermarket shelves across Australia, international hotels and Qantas flights, with the airline partnership marking its 40th year this year.Presiding over Beerenberg’s next chapter is Robert Priest, the company’s first external CEO. He arrived with large-scale FMCG experience, including Coca-Cola and Carlton & United Breweries, and a mandate to drive growth without losing the farm’s particularities.Inside FMCG spoke with Priest about taking a farm brand national, the demands of modern grocery retail and why Beerenberg still wants Hahndorf doing much of the talking.IFMCG: Plenty of brands spend years trying to acquire a sense of place. Beerenberg already has one with six generations of family running the farm. What does staying in Hahndorf give the business as it grows?Robert Priest (RP): It’s enabled growth, and Hahndorf and our connection to Hahndorf is central to who we are. As you mentioned, our family’s been farming here for six generations, and for us, it’s just part of our community. Beerenberg and the Paechs are part of the community too. I think what’s really important for us is that it’s invented a brand story that we live every day, which is, it’s authentic. It’s genuine. It’s a real place that people can visit and experience Beerenberg through our farm shop and farm cafe at the front of our premises.IFMCG: In the beginning you had strawberries by the roadside, then jam when there was fruit to spare. Which decisions actually turned that farm-gate business into a national brand?RP: I think it starts with Grant and Carol Paech and their entrepreneurial spirit. Over 50 years ago, a dairy farmer decided to plant strawberries, and from there, a roadside stall selling fresh strawberries in the markets here in Adelaide led to the creation of the brand through jams and spreads, and it was very much done on site.So that created what was very much a farm gate, a farm into a brand, and it was a little bit accidental how it all came about. There’s always been reinvestment and reinvesting into the business, and I think being family-owned and the vision to remain family-owned means that the focus has always been on the long term versus short-term gains.And with that, we’re actually celebrating 40 years of the Qantas partnership this year, which really got Beerenberg on the map by putting our small jars on Qantas planes 40 years ago.IFMCG: You joined a company with generations of family history behind it and became its first external CEO. What made you want the job and what did you think you could add?RP: I’ve spent most of my childhood and a bit of my adult life here in Adelaide. I worked in Sydney for a decade. I’ve always known the Beerenberg brand. I always had Beerenberg in my fridge in Sydney. I brought my daughters to pick strawberries when they were only four and five.I have lots of memories around the brand and a lot of fondness for it. I always thought about how they have respected the heritage and the quality of the product. The products, I would say, are some of the best products I’ve tasted even before I joined. And you always become more of an advocate when you join.I saw the opportunity for the brand to grow even more, and that was part of the main reason the family and the board wanted to bring in someone with external Eastern Seaboard large FMCG experience to take it on the next journey of growth. However, still be rooted in our traditions, our values and what’s made us who we are today.IFMCG: Beerenberg still talks about small batches, care and Australian ingredients, while major retailers expect volume and consistency – what happens when those two worlds meet?RP: I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but the way we think about it is very much about preserving our principles around the quality and the craft, but then using technology and modernisation to be even more reliable.We know our customers want products made with care, and that balance is really about how we consistently deliver on that care. The product always has to be the best quality, and we’re true to our products and to our Beerenberg standards, whether that’s existing products or innovation in general.So I will never skimp on ingredients. We’re never looking to cut corners. Modernisation just helps us do it more consistently.IFMCG: There is also the practical reality of running a sizable food business from the Adelaide Hills. Where does the location make life more complicated?RPt: I think firstly the advantages definitely outweigh the challenges. We have this wonderful township, Hahndorf, in the Adelaide Hills, a 30-minute drive from Adelaide. It’s the number one tourist destination, Hahndorf, and we obviously benefit from being part of the community.People come to Beerenberg as part of that experience. So we’ve always had the benefit of lots of visitors coming to our farm shop and our cafe.IFMCG: The farm is also a shop, cafe and tourist attraction now. How important has that physical experience become to the brand people encounter in supermarkets?RP: We only close on Christmas Day. But then there are other experiences. As you come into our farm cafe, you get the history of Beerenberg and our food showcase featuring Beerenberg brands at their best. You’ve got a retail shop with every product we make that you might not find in your local area or at your local shops, and we also offer experiences.So you can book a high tea, and you can try our delicious scones made on-site. It’s beautiful. So there’s more to it, but there’s no doubt the pick-your-own is very much what made us famous to start with.IFMCG: If we had this conversation again in five or 10 years, where would you most like to see Beerenberg bigger?RP: There’s a few parts where I see the opportunity. We have high brand love in South Australia, and how do we replicate that brand love more consistently across the rest of Australia? As part of the role, we need to focus on marketing, because when people taste our products, they buy them.We also see opportunities internationally. It’s not easy because there’s a lot of red tape. Every market’s very different. Then you throw in a Middle East crisis, and it throws challenges our way across the board. We see opportunities for more international.From a hospitality and tourism perspective, we aim to enhance the tourism experience we have today. We want to enhance the whole farm shop and retail offering to really deliver on the Beerenberg experience more often.