- Tropical Fruit World in Tweed Valley, NSW, grows over 500 fruit varieties across 215 acres of rich volcanic soil, one of the most diverse fruit farms in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Managing spray records, compliance, and traceability across that many varieties was becoming unsustainable on paper.
- Farm Coordinator Nikki Austin and General Manager Aymon Gow adopted Farmable to track treatments, generate audit-ready reports, and maintain full traceability, all from their phones.
- The result: less paperwork, faster compliance, and more time focused on growing exceptional fruit.
Nestled in the Tweed Valley region of New South Wales, just 15 minutes south of Gold Coast Airport, Tropical Fruit World is no ordinary farm. Established in 1972, this 215-acre property sits on some of Australia's richest volcanic soil, shaped over millions of years into ideal conditions for tropical fruit production.
Today, Tropical Fruit World cultivates over 500 fruit varieties from around the globe, making it one of the most diverse fruit farms in the Southern Hemisphere. From exotics such as Soursop, Jackfruit, Mamey Sapote, and Dragonfruit, to familiar bananas and avocados, the range is extraordinary.
With extraordinary diversity comes extraordinary complexity. Every variety has different treatment schedules, pest profiles, and compliance requirements. Managing all of this on paper was becoming unsustainable.
The challenge of scale and diversity
Tropical Fruit World is not just a commercial farm. It's also an award-winning tourist destination, welcoming thousands of visitors each year for tractor tours, fruit tastings, boat cruises, and farm experiences. This dual identity as both a working farm and a tourism operation adds layers of complexity to daily management.
Farm Coordinator Nikki Austin oversees the day-to-day coordination of farm activities across this vast property. Before Farmable, keeping track of spray records, treatment histories, and compliance documentation across hundreds of fruit varieties was a time-consuming, error-prone process.
“With 500+ varieties to manage, we needed a system that could keep up with the complexity of our operation without adding more paperwork.”
Nikki Austin, Farm Coordinator, Tropical Fruit World
Why Farmable was the right fit
When Russell Davison visited Tropical Fruit World in February 2026, he saw firsthand how the team had integrated Farmable into their daily operations. The platform offered exactly what a farm of this scale and diversity needed:
- Plot-level tracking for hundreds of fruit varieties across 215 acres
- Instant spray record documentation from the field using a smartphone
- Automatic weather data capture during treatments
- Audit-ready PDF reports generated in seconds
Having all treatment records digitised and instantly accessible transformed how the team approaches audits and compliance. No more searching through paper files, everything is a tap away.
Digital tools for a world-class farm
At Tropical Fruit World, the team makes quick operational decisions in the field while maintaining accurate records of every treatment applied. With Farmable on their phones, they record treatments in real time as they work:
- Product applied, rate, and target pest or disease
- Plot and variety treated
- Weather conditions, automatically logged
Nikki Austin uses the app to coordinate farm activities and ensure all records are complete, keeping the team on top of compliance obligations. The combination of field-level recording and management oversight gives Tropical Fruit World full traceability from treatment to harvest.
Managing complexity with clarity
With over 500 varieties, understanding costs and performance at the plot level is critical. Farmable gives the team the ability to:
- Track input costs per variety and plot
- Identify which crops are most cost-effective to manage
- Generate compliance documentation for different market requirements
This level of visibility is essential for a farm supplying both domestic markets and serving as a world-renowned agritourism destination. Every decision, from what to spray to what to plant next, can now be backed by real data.
Monitoring across a living museum of fruit
With such an extraordinary range of crops, pest and disease monitoring at Tropical Fruit World is a year-round job. Different varieties attract different pests, and the subtropical climate demands constant vigilance.
Using Farmable, the team can:
- Photograph pest or disease symptoms in the field
- Tag the observation to a specific plot and variety
- Build a documented trail that justifies every treatment decision
This systematic approach ensures nothing falls through the cracks, even on a farm with hundreds of different crops to manage.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tropical Fruit World?
Tropical Fruit World is a 215-acre farm in the Tweed Valley, NSW, Australia, established in 1972. It grows over 500 fruit varieties from around the world on rich volcanic soil, and welcomes thousands of visitors annually for farm tours, fruit tastings, and boat cruises.
How does Farmable handle compliance across hundreds of different fruit varieties?
Every treatment is logged in the field by plot and variety, product, rate, target pest, and weather conditions. Audit-ready PDF reports can be generated in seconds, with no paper file searches required.
Can Farmable track input costs at the variety level?
Yes. Input costs are recorded against each plot and variety as treatments are logged, giving farm managers visibility into which crops are most cost-effective to manage and what each variety costs to treat across a season.
Does Farmable support farms that also operate as tourist destinations?
Yes. Farmable handles the compliance and record-keeping side of the operation independently of visitor management systems. It runs on the mobile devices your team already carries, no additional hardware required.