Assistance from the Australian and NSW governments has supported Lismore-based blueberry grower Mountain Blue to transform its state-of-the-art packing facility into a flood-proof ‘fishbowl’ in a bid to increase the plant’s resilience to future flooding.

Following the flood in February 2022, Managing Director of Mountain Blue, Andrew Bell, was faced with an expensive clean-up with mud and water destroying machines and packaging.

“It was a very stressful time for us and our staff, many of whom were also dealing with the fallout of flooding at their own homes. There was also the uncertainty about the future - will it happen again? How will we deal with that if it does?”

Mountain Blue employs up to 80 people on the packing room floor at the height of harvest, and a further 25 staff operate in offices upstairs.

The February 2022 flood coincided with the off-season for blueberries, but with the June harvest fast approaching, it was all hands on deck to get the facility back to being operational.

“A priority for us was reinstating our mechanised packing machines so that when our harvest started, we could get our staff back to work,” he said.

“Using part of the $1.9 million grant from the Supply Chain Support Program, we were able clean the facility and get one of our high-tech packing machines operational by the start of season, which carried us until we could get the rest online.”

Two years on from the disaster, the company has shifted its focus to flood mitigation and protecting the plant for the future.

“We are working with a company out of the United States to flood-proof the main floor by installing large barriers around the walls, which can be locked off in a flood creating a fish tank which will hopefully keep most of the water out.

“We found the process of working with the relevant Government agencies very positive and can’t thank them enough for their sympathetic approach to helping our recovery.” 

Mountain Blue is one of 12 businesses that has received funding through the Supply Chain Support Program.

The Supply Chain Support Program is part of the $150 million Primary Industry Support Package, co-funded by the Australian and NSW governments.