PMA Australia-New ZealandandProduce Plus Magazine have announced the five finalists for the PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award 2013, now in its second year as the premier award for marketing in the Australasian fresh produce and floral industries.

From another very strong field, the five finalists are:

– David Weisz of Horticulture Australia for his marketing team’s work on the relaunch and rebranding of Australian Bananas in the wake of Cyclone Yasi.

– Sharnah Coulthart of Moraitis for the ‘Kumato Love’ tomato campaign.

–Paul Paynter and the team at Yummy Fruit Co for their 2012/13 stonefruit marketing campaign.

–Lisa Cork of Fresh Produce Marketing for the Delta Produce ‘Love! Kumara’ rebranding project.

– Lisa Byrne of Flowerdale Farm for her development of the ‘Innovators in Speciality Produce’ campaign.

The Marketer of the Year Award recognises outstanding achievement over the past year in the marketing of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers in Australia and/or New Zealand.

“Once again, we have been very impressed by the strength and scope of the entries we’ve received for this award. The entries demonstrate the high levels of passion and skill in the industry in Australia and New Zealand, and the increasing sophistication of the fresh fruit, vegetable and floral market here,” said Produce Plus Magazine’s managing editor John Hey.

CEO of PMA Australia-New Zealand, Michael Worthington, added: “It is always such a pleasure to read the entries for this award as it shows that there is some great creativity out there as well as some incredibly committed people who are truly making a difference in grabbing the attention of consumers.'

In a press release, PMA and Produce Plus Magazine congratulated this year’s finalists, and thanked all their nominees for their impressive entries.

The winner of the PMA-Produce Plus Marketer of the Year Award 2013 will be announced during the conference gala dinner at the PMA Fresh Connections conference and trade show on 12 June 2013 at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre.

A report on the five finalists features in the upcoming Winter 2013 edition of Produce Plus Magazine, which will be distributed to all delegates attending PMA Fresh Connections in Sydney on 11-13 June 2013. An in-depth interview with the winner will follow in the Spring 2013 edition of Produce Plus Magazine.