Markting Environment - Australian Grape Growing Industry
...currently impacting on the grape growing industry within Australia. IBIS.com.au defines the grape growing industry as “organisations mainly engaged in growing or sun-drying grapes from vineyards. Grape growers purchase raw materials such as herbicides, pesticides, bird nets and irrigation systems” (IBIS.com.au). The grapes are a highly perishable and seasonal agricultural product (www.winesa.asn.au). In 2006-7, of the 1.53 million tonnes of grapes produced in Australia, 1.4 million tonnes were crushed which is 93% of total grape production. The other 7% were sold to fruit wholesalers as table grapes and sultanas (abs.gov.au). Hence this analysis will mainly focus on the impact of wine grapes. There are around 8,000 grape growing vineyards in Australia, approximately 80% are owned by private enterprise and 20% owned by wine producing organisations. The grape growing industry employs more than 15,000 people directly and many thousands more in the service and supply industries which extend from the grape growing industry (www.winesa.asn.au).
Many regional economies are built on and remain largely reliant on grape production and while many vineyards have highly concentrated vineyard plantings, vineyards are widely dispersed and have become a common feature of much of the landscape of southern Australia, “South Australia accounts for 43% of the national wine grape crush” in 2006-7 (abs.gov.au).
Australian produced grape wine is highly respected globally; due largely to the extraordinary range of vineyard sites and grape varieties, together with the skills of Australian growers in producing consistently high quality grapes for the wide spectrum of consumer tastes (www.winesa.asn.au). In applying the criterion of Principles of Marketing 2006 Edition 3 to continue to facilitate satisfying exchange relationships, the grape growing industry...
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