This North Queensland mango producer is giving consumers the opportunity to have their fruit and drink it too, and all for a good cause.
Manbulloo Mangoes have linked up with Melbourne company Local Brewing Co to create a mango sour, with the proceeds from every six pack going to charity Second Bite to provide a meal for someone struggling with food insecurity.
Second Bite is a national organisation, originating in Victoria, that redistributes fresh food to more than 1300 community food programs around the country to help feed vulnerable Australians.
Manbulloo have been connected with Second Bite for several years, donating fruit that wouldn't quite make it to the shelves of the supermarket, but Manbulloo Supply Chain Manager Karl Gyger said they were looking for a way to contribute further.
"We spoke to Second Bite about whether there was anything else we could be doing to help the charity and they put us in contact with Local Brewing Co who chatted with us about the option of using some of the fruit to develop a sour," he said.
"So we had been sending a lot of fruit to Second Bite, which was fantastic, and then there was some that was a bit rougher around the edges, so Local Brewing Co took that fruit that otherwise would have gone to waste.
"They're a cool organisation, a group of young entrepreneurial ladies and gentlemen from down in Melbourne, who use waste products to create beers, stouts and sours, including using waste bread instead of grains.
"So we thought this would be excellent to support the charity in another way."
Mr Gygar said the creation of the sour was a great alternative to throwing away the less-appealing fruit, and was helping others in the process.
"It uses product from our farm that would have otherwise been wasted," he said.
"And it goes to something really good. We're contributing to a charity that we believe in, who do great things for people."
Manbulloo have seven farms across Australia: two in the Northern Territory, two near Townsville and another three near Mareeba.
Predominantly mango producers, Manbulloo also grow avocados and are currently branching out into other products as such as jackfruit and yuzu.
The original Katherine farm was started in the 1980's and has since expanded to become Australia's largest Kensington pride grower.