I was known to my family and friends as a mining engineer looking for a meaningful, entrepreneurial pursuit.

Some years ago Maggie Beer, the celebrated Australian chef, commented on how strange it was that no-one grew Capers in Australia.  

With a couple of research trips to the Mediterranean countries renown for Capers and much  reading  I decided it was worth making an attempt to develop a new Australian industry replacing imported Capers with a high quality Australian product. 

The Australian Caper Company was developed to investigate the opportunities for an Australian Caper Industry to replace our current imported capers and caperberries and in time, become a quality export in its own right.

 
Tracking down the plant stock was the first challenge and it became clear that we would need to propagate our own plants if we were to get the project off the ground. We have seven varieties and trailed five. We recommend three varieties.

 
The Mannum area on the banks of the Murray River in South Australia with it’s long, hot, dry sunny days, low rainfall and reasonably well drained soils would be perfect for our trial site. When I began this project  I was based in Western Australia and it was with my parent’s hard work and wisdom that helped this venture off the ground. 
 
Living alongside the Murray River, my interest in water and salinity issues was piqued and I grew more certain that the hardy caper bush, with it’s deep root system, would be the perfect crop for Australia’s higher saline and drought ridden areas.

 
The Rural Industries Research and Development Council were very supportive of the work and gave a grant to trial different varieties habits, growing and harvesting techniques. Also during that period I was able to develop a unique processing technique that aimed to preserve the essential oils and anti oxidants, which researches are saying, even small amounts help fight cancer and heart disease.
 
Proof of concept “that capers could be successfully grown and marketed in Australia” occurred in 2008 in two ways. The first was  two growers that I helped establish successfully grown and sell the final caper product to me and secondly, I became a finalist for Vogue Entertainment and Travel “Best Produce” award. I am pleased to say we are nominated again for 2009.  

 
Australian Caper Company this year will produce around two tonnes of caper products. It is planning to grow over 25 fold in the next 4 years to over 50 tonnes per annum by selecting four growers that will plant 10,000 caper plants this year.  

I feel that the knowledge of eating locally grown Australian capers and caper berries  add to the enjoyment of eating them, particularly because they are a plant requiring miminal amount of Australia’s precious water and grow in the poorest soils. You are eating the herb or the fruit of a plant that not only creates precious rural jobs but is environmentally sustainable and  has the potential to rehabilitate land so degraded by salinity, that it can sustain no other crop.

“Australian capers have a very intense taste, firmer and fresher than their imported counterpart and because they are grown by me according to organic principles, they avoid the high toxic residues that imported capers have been known to carry”.     Jonathon Trewartha