'Orchy' receives refreshment

FEW products manage to claim such a place in the thinking of consumers that a brand name becomes part of the language.
For many years "Orchy" was the Aussie word for orange juice.
The juice that left a Redlands processing plant seeped deeply into the nation’s culture.
Its profile dropped over time due to reduced activity in the marketplace but Orchy is now getting back on the lips of thirsty Australians, thanks to a family from Mudgee, New South Wales.
The Etheringtons, with a 25-year-long heritage in fruit processing through their company, Bevco, bought Orchy and its Thornlands plant in 2004. (Image from http://www.bevco.com.au/)

MANAGING director Larry Etherington and his director-sons, David and Scott, now run a two-state operation with 90 employees and a commitment to keep growing as a truly Australian identity in a climate of foreign influence in the food product sector.
The trio is also determined that Orchy will continue as a hallmark of the Redlands.
The Etheringtons looked at all the options after they bought Orchy and decided to remain in Redlands and keep the things that Orchy has always stood for – quality and Australian ownership.
"Our Orchy team are fantastic and do a great job,” David says.
“They bring significant skills and experience to the Bevco business.
"We've made a significant capital investment to ensure the production facility is up to speed and running efficiently.
"Our plans are to grow the brand and business through continued investment and the assistance of our great team.”

ABOUT 20 people applied recently for two new positions as production workers at the Kinross Road plant, after recruitment through our Classifieds.
David says the mission to regain Orchy’s former market profile is a challenge that he looks forward to.
Research shows that Australians aged over 30 are still likely to use "Orchy" as their name for that orange thirst quencher, leaving lots of scope for coordinated marketing through various population sectors.
The plant’s 100% juice products include not only orange juice in a star role but also pineapple, blackcurrant, apple, mango and passionfruit, which has long been Orchy’s best seller.
It also produces a range of fruit drinks, spring water and other ancillary lines.
Most of the fruit comes from Narromine and Griffith in New South Wales and Mackay in Queensland, thankfully without critical shortages from the drought.
(This column has appeared in the Rural Press newspaper, The Redland Times, Cleveland, Queensland, Australia).