Perfection Fresh (Aust)

Meet the man behind Australia's Royal Pom® pomegranates

Royal Pom® pomegranate grower, Paul McLaughlin of PMG Agriculture, set off on an international fact-finding expedition to research watermelons but it was pomegranates that caught his eye.

Paul, a fourth generation primary producer based in Condobolin in central New South Wales, and his wife Rachael, are the exclusive producers of Perfection Fresh's delicious Royal Pom® pomegranates.

Together, Perfection Fresh and PMG Agriculture researched the world's best pomegranate varieties, looking for a fruit with exceptional and consistent flavour, acknowledged health benefits and crop suitability to Australian conditions. The Wonderful variety - marketed as Royal Pom® pomegranates - satisfied on all counts.

Innovative family-operated PMG Agriculture has continued to expand its pomegranate plantings in New South Wales since the first commercial Royal Pom® crop went to market in 2009.

There are now some 200 hectares under cultivation and Royal Pom® pomegranates are available six months of the year (April to October) during the counter-season for imported pomegranates.

"Pomegranates just captivated me and I was inspired to try them here,'' Paul says.

Growing pomegranates is extremely labour intensive. Each of Paul's 120,000 trees must be pruned by hand every four weeks to keep their shape and height.

Come harvest time, each fruit is carefully clipped off the stem, as the pickers take care not to bruise the delicate skin.

For Paul, just eating a Royal Pom® pomegranate is reward in itself.

"Once opened, Royal Pom® pomegranates look like a blossoming flower filled with juicy sweet edible little arils. It's like a mini explosion of goodness in your mouth. They leave you with a sense of wellbeing.

"My children absolutely love them because each little aril is like eating a sweet, only these sweets happen to be extremely good for you. In some cultures, they give pomegranates as gifts, in the same way we would give a box of chocolates. Pomegranates are a very special, sweet indulgence."

PMG Agriculture will this year send 100,000 trays of Royal Pom® pomegranates to market.

And as Australians continue to respond to the distinctive taste, versatility and appeal of pomegranates, PMG Agriculture is well on the way to taking Royal Poms® a step further with the launch of Australia's first pomegranate wine planned for the near future.