A state-of-the-art Peel facility that provides a hub for food businesses to test their innovations is helping Geraldton-based business Bravo Gazpacho to get its ancient Spanish drink onto more shop shelves.
The Sustainable Innovative Food Technologies (SIFT) Centre was launched this year, enabling the transformation of ingredients produced by famers into value added food products using specialised equipment and new technologies.
The SIFT Centre is the result of a WA Government (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development) partnership with the Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre, delivered by Murdoch University.
Bravo Gazpacho owner and founder, Sonia Garcia Ayala, began using the facility in June 2024 to test ways to improve the shelf life of her product by using a high pressure processing (HPP) technique to cold pasteurise foods.
Based in the Mid West, the business has created a nutritious drink with no preservatives from raw, locally sourced ingredients, including tomatoes, cucumbers and capsicums.
“We’ve developed our own recipe based on traditional gazpacho – a popular traditional Spanish drink – but with tweaks to suit the Aussie palate,” Ms Garcia Ayala said.
“Using the specialised equipment at the SIFT Centre allowed us to test ways to scale up gazpacho production and significantly improve the shelf life of our product.
“This means we can produce larger batches, less frequently while reducing product returns from the retailer – increasing our ability to focus on business development and increase sales.”
Ms Garcia Ayala hopes the improved shelf life will help boost her product’s reach onto retail shelves, with the product currently available in a range of stores in the Perth metropolitan area and Geraldton.
“I’m really happy with the support from the SIFT team,” she said. “Without their expertise and access to the HPP technology, my business wouldn’t have been able to grow as much as it has.”
The SIFT Centre provides a collaborative space, where startups and established businesses alike can access factory scale resources and receive hands-on, expert advice.
SIFT Managing Director Stuart Johnson said the unique Centre was all about science and technology transfer to help local businesses to optimise their potential.
“That’s the benefit of having advanced machinery plus industry expertise on advanced manufacturing processes, innovation and food quality all in the one place,” he said. “Our clients, like Sonia, are usually super excited to use these facilities, funded by the State Government.
“Our success comes from enabling the WA food and beverage businesses to test and scale products – helping to grow our flourishing local food production sector.”
The SIFT Centre is located within the Food Innovation Precinct of WA in the Peel Business Park at Nambeelup. More information is available at the SIFT website.
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