Meier’s Subtropical Plantation
Based in Bundaberg, Queensland, Meiers Subtropical Plantation grows more than 200 acres of passionfruit across multiple properties. The family-owned business is led by Paul and Mary-Anne Meiers, alongside their sons, Jason and Bradley. With more than 50 years of experience in the passionfruit industry, the Meiers family has established itself as one of Australia’s leading producers. While the business has called Bundaberg home for more than 30 years, its roots trace back to Nambour on the Sunshine Coast, where the family’s passionfruit-growing journey first began.
Paul stated: “ Moving to Bundaberg was a great decision. Nambour was too unpredictable with the weather and the Lower rainfall in Bundaberg meant we could control what was happening in the vines more effectively. One of the major challenges in Bundaberg however is the wind, which passionfruit don’t like.”
Behind every box of fruit is more than 50 years of dedication, innovation and hard work. Supported by a strong family network and a commitment to excellence, the Meiers family has created one of Australia’s most respected passionfruit growing operations.
With more than 90,000 vines of passionfruit spread across several locations, the family embodies the very best of successful Australian family farming. What sets Meiers Subtropical Plantation apart is its complete control over the production process. Everything is undertaken on-farm, From propagation and rootstock development through to breeding, grafting and commercial production.
The yield from these vines is impressive with Paul informing me that one vine alone produced approximately 40L of fruit off the vine in a two week period. Trialling vines also comes with challenges, a promising vine which was an impressive 14meters long only produced 50% of “Meiers quality” selections. Currently they have around 70-80 different selections which will be trialled in two or three months. Once these are grafted they can be trialled on a much bigger scale.
Trialling and constant cross breeding and selection is what Paul says makes the farm so successful. He states that most vines only have 5-10 quality breeding years in them before the traits diminish so constant cross selection and experimentation is what is needed to continue quality and standard within the farm.
By overseeing every stage of the journey, Paul Meiers and his family have been able to continually refine and improve their passionfruit genetics, producing vines that deliver exceptional performance in the field. Their commitment to advancement is perhaps best demonstrated in the trial block located on the family property, where more than 800 trial vines are currently under evaluation.
“We barely use any pesticides; we rely heavily on integrated pest management. Very little chemical fertilizer is used on-farm, preferring to use more organically based fertilizers which are much kinder on the environment and the worms.”
Experimenting with new varieties can be both exciting and frustrating. Jason pointed out one standout vine that, at just 18 months old and stretching an impressive 12–14 metres, showed enormous potential. Yet trialling is never without its challenges. While he had planted a block of around 400 vines from the line, only about 50 per cent performed to the standard he was looking for, with the remainder failing to meet expectations. It’s a reminder that plant breeding is rarely a straight path, but each success and failure helps build a better understanding of what makes a productive vine.
It is this combination of experience, innovation and attention to detail that has enabled the Meiers family to remain at the forefront of the Australian passionfruit industry. While the scale of the operation is impressive, it is the passion behind it with the willingness to continually improve and invest in the future that truly makes the business stand out.
