Leading Australian cherry producer leverages Laava’s technology

In the space of three seasons, Reid Fruits has seemingly eliminated counterfeit attempts on its premium cherry brand. 

The Tasmanian grower-packer-exporter has detailed its success with Laava’s counterfeit prevention technology in a new case study, published on Laava’s website.

Laava Smart Fingerprints are included on Reid Fruits’ cartons

Image: Laava

Reid Fruits engaged Australian-based Laava ahead of its 2019/20 cherry season, following persistent issues with counterfeiting in key export markets.

“In the 2018/19 season in China, the counterfeiters had made a complete digital copy of our carton,” Tony Coad, marketing and sales manager of Reid Fruits, said in the case study. “We were using highly intricate laser-cut stickers affixed to our carton lids at that time – a new and different sticker design at the start of each season – as an anti-counterfeit measure. The copy carton included a digital image of the new sticker for the 2018/19 season.

“At that point, we had also been using a printed card within each carton with the cherries with a QR code linked to a Reid Fruits website for customers to check authenticity through the QR code. The counterfeiters had also copied this card incorporating their own QR card linked back to their own fake Reid Fruits website to verify the carton as authentic.

“We were also using carton liners printed with the Reid Fruits logo and carton bases with a watermark printed Reid Fruits logo – this was also copied.

“All this happened within a week of our product arriving in the market in the 2018/19 season.”

Coad said the company’s brand, which had a strong reputation as a premium offering, was at risk from inferior products sold under fake Reid Fruits branding.

For the 2019/20 season, Reid Fruits introduced Laava Smart Fingerprints – a scalable alternative to QR codes – on its cherry cartons bound for 20 export markets. The result – ten counterfeit attempts, all of which were automatically stopped by the Laava platform.

The number of counterfeit attempts dropped to just three in 2020/21. In the 2021/22 season that number dropped to zero.

“In the cherry season just gone (2021/22) we didn’t receive any reports of counterfeit products in market or any sign of attempts to counterfeit our cartons or labels,” Coad explained. 

As the partnership enters its fourth season, the benefits extend beyond authentication and brand protection. 

Reid Fruits has benefitted from updates to Laava’s platform that allow document verification of supplier certificates and asset integrity for packaging and labelling. 

Laava Smart Fingerprints also provide a gateway for digital storytelling.

“Well-executed marketing campaigns in dedicated export markets have tied it all together, with influencers sharing their passion for the premium-quality product that Reid Fruits is known for,” according to the case study.

Coad provided a glowing endorsement for the technology. 

“I would highly recommend that businesses explore the opportunities and benefits that the Laava solution has to offer.”

Read more about the partnership between Reid Fruits and Laava in the February 2023 edition of Asiafruit.  

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