Whoever would have thought that a marriage between coffee and papaya, two seemingly different products, could be such a successful combination?
Atherton Tableland’s Skybury did.
While Ian and Marion MacLaughlin established Skybury as Australia’s first commercial coffee plantation in 1987 growing a bourbon variety of Arabica coffee, it was the opening of its licensed cafe and working roastery in 1996 that put Skybury on the map as a popular tourism destination.
And in a bid to add long-term security for the next generation, the plantation also started producing papaya 10 years after starting. This crop provided year-round employment, diversification and growth opportunities. Skybury was one of the first commercial plantations of red papaya in the country after recognising that the sandy soils and subtropical climate on its farm created the perfect growing conditions for both coffee and papaya.
It is now Australia’s largest red papaya producer, growing 6 million kilograms a year and supplying approximately 50 per cent of all the fruit consumed in Australia through selected Coles, Woolworths, Aldi and independent retailer and grocery stores in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.
The 190-hectare plantation then went a step further by producing a range of value-add products based on coffee and papaya, including condiments, preserves, dried fruits, spirits, liqueurs and, most recently, skincare products.
“Skybury is now a destination for both coffee and papaya,” Skybury general manager Candy MacLaughlin says. “There is nothing on the menu that doesn’t have coffee or papaya in it.
“We also offer a free tasting and interactive experience in our tasting room. Guests can come and sample the coffee and taste fresh papaya, pickled papaya, jams and chocolate-covered coffee beans (among other delights).
“Our skincare range is made with a local lady, Melisa Bond, who's very much into natural ingredients with a sustainable approach,” Candy says. “We wanted to use the products that we have here and find a way to create balms and face oils, and that's what she's done. Melisa will also be adding to the 2023 tourism season with a pop-up shop within the cafe; a chance for her to engage with guests, and for locals and visitors to try her products.”
Award-winning liqueurs and spirits are another successful value-add product range for the plantation and include espresso liqueur, papaya schnapps, papaya vodka, and papaya and passionfruit liqueur, to name a few. Three silver medals from the 2021 London Spirits competition are among the accolades.
“We’ve become really successful with Coles, which now offer our products through their Liquorland stores,” says Candy. The exotic beverages are made in collaboration with FNQ Spirits and are also available online via Skyury’s website and at its cafe.
While visitors to the open-air cafe love relaxing with a cuppa, enjoying sensational views and a delicious menu featuring farm-fresh produce from local growers, they can also learn more about how Skybury takes coffee from crop to cup in a series of information boards and virtual tours of its working roastery.
The plantation is also home to a dedicated research lab, a large packing shed that can process more than 60 pallets of papaya a day, a coffee cinema, and a tissue culture facility.
Three generations of MacLaughlins now work on the farm, including Ian and Marion, two of their three children (Candy and agronomist Mark), and six of their grandchildren. While the family involvement is important to them, so too are their 115 staff members. The majority are employed on the papaya side of the business in roles such as picking, packing and irrigation.
Sustainable farming has always been at the forefront of Ian and Marion’s plan, which is why they strive to be leaders and innovators in practising sustainable agricultural management principles. These sustainable practices include water conservation, renewable power, erosion control, integrated pest management and dual cropping.
The Skybury team is also passionate about elevating the profile of the whole region and its bountiful range of farm produce.
“While we continue to raise awareness of the papaya and its benefits (it has more vitamin C than an orange), we also want to raise the profile of Far North Queensland as a food destination,” Candy adds. “For example, if you get 20 farmers in the region to do a roadside store, that would be a destination in itself, creating a farm-gate approach.”
Skybury
136 Ivicevic Road, Mareeba
4093 2194
