This article was originally published in The Courier Mail.
Coronavirus might have killed the international holiday, but it has proven no match for the foreign demand for Queensland’s Big Cheese Kransky sausage.
Yatala-based smallgoods supplier Gotzinger is one of the state’s exporters pulling off the seemingly impossible by finding a way to get its sausages and other goods to overseas buyers.
The 108-year-old company has secured new export contracts for lucrative Asian markets and is now exporting tonnes of German sausages to the Philippines and Hong Kong.
It also has orders in the pipeline for more of its smallgoods from Vietnam and Singapore.
The contracts come as more Queensland exporters take advantage of subsidised international cargo flights to supply everything from perishable foods, such as seafood and pork, to flowers.
Tonnes of fresh seafood has departed Cairns, pork sides have been flown out of Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport and containers of fresh fruit, flowers and avocados departed Brisbane, according to the Palaszczuk Government, with 12 federally-funded flights a week leaving the state.
Gotzinger Smallgoods owner Tony Van der Drift. Picture: Liam Kidston
Since April, the specialised export flights have carried over 40,000 tonnes of product from Australia to 50 international destinations, according to Government figures.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Gotzinger Smallgoods’ exports breakthrough highlighted the quality of its products, especially the Big Cheese Kransky sausages.
“This is testament to our processors and manufacturers ‘give it a go’ approach and their determination to surmount challenges,” she said.
“Even in these very trying times with businesses pivoting and facing difficult logistical challenges, new orders are still coming and Gotzinger Smallgoods should be very proud of themselves for what they have achieved,” she said.
The Gotzinger orders came after it was introduced to international distributor Century Food in Brisbane last year by Trade and Investment Queensland and the Agriculture Department.
Gotzinger was also part of a State Government-led trade mission to Hong Kong last year.
“We’re delighted to achieve this deal into new markets because we see export as a key part of our business,” Gotzinger national sales and export manager George Ganis said.
“If anything, this most unusual of years has shown that we need to spread risk over different markets and export is another good leg for our business to stand on while industries like food service are disrupted,” he said.
“We’ve been expanding our exports since we started supplying the Philippines last year and as well as Hong Kong and now we’re about to commence exports to Vietnam and Singapore shortly.
“This new, exclusive deal with a Hong Kong distributor will see us sending approximately 1.4 tonnes of five lines of smallgoods like cheese kransky sausages every two weeks direct from Brisbane.” Gotzinger Smallgoods employs 130 staff, almost all from Queensland. Its sausages are available nationally in Coles and Woolworths.
