They taste great and people love how convenient they are.    

New South Wales grower Steve Osman needs very little prompting to sing the praises of Qukes® baby snacking cucumbers.

 

Together with brothers Zahir and Bachar, Steve produce around 100,000 kilos of the sweet, crunchy favourite for Perfection Fresh annually.

 

"The product is growing day by day, everyone is chasing it - it's an eye-catching line," Steve says.

 

"They taste great and people love how easy and convenient they are. Instead of buying a whole continental cucumber, you can just buy a punnet of these and dive right in - they really are the perfect snack."

 

Osman Fresh Produce, located at Rossmore in south-west Sydney, has been producing Qukes® baby snacking cucumbers for Perfection Fresh since 2002.

 

The brothers plant around 35,000 to 40,000 plants a season. As well as the Qukes®, the Osmans also grow cucumbers and tomatoes on their compact, but bountiful, 8,000 square metre block.

 

Small, crunchy and packed with folate and fibre, Qukes® baby snacking cucumbers have become a popular and convenient addition to salads and school lunch boxes.

 

"When picking, we look for that beautiful dark green colour and, of course, the most important thing is that they are picked at the correct size - we aim for the 85-120mm mark," Steve says.

 

Steve was born in Lebanon and came to Australia with his family at the age of 12. He studied travel and tourism and, initially, had no plans to enter the family's vegetable growing business - until he was introduced to Qukes® baby snacking cucumbers.

 

"I was going to the markets with a mate who used to grow Qukes® baby snacking cucumbers and they really caught my eye because that is the size we pick cucumbers back in Lebanon," Steve says.

 

"When my friend was unable to continue growing them, I put my hand up and said that I would love to grow them for Perfection Fresh and the business has grown from there.

 

"They are a great product and we are really proud to produce them."

 

Serving Suggestion

Slice Qukes® baby snacking cucumbers and serve with yoghurt, garlic and mint.