General News
16 June, 2025
Fruit boxes receive artistic brio to lure buyers
FRUIT boxes displaying Skybury papayas will be turned into works of art to attract consumers at supermarkets across Australia with artists vying to have their work selected for the novel billboard.
Skybury general manager Candy MacLaughlin and Caffiend owner Oliver James united for ‘The Fruit Box Show’ at the Grafton St café by bringing art and live music together to connect the next generation with papaya.
“We need to bring the farmer back into focus when selling produce to create a greater connection with consumers,” Ms MacLaughlin said.
“Farmers spend a lot of time growing produce and the sticker on our papayas and the box they come in are our primary connections to people buying fruit.
“My fruit box is my billboard for Skybury papaya and I haven’t been using it. I want to give supermarkets a collectible box where they can proudly display our fruit and acknowledge the farmers behind it.”
More than a dozen artists showcased their fruit box designs at The Fruit Box Show in Cairns and the winner Meg Taylor will have her work printed on Skybury’s weekly run of 20,000 boxes with the national rollout showcasing 180,000 pieces of fruit across Australia.
Renown Melbourne street and graffiti artist Tim Phibs headlined The Fruit Box Show and will also turn his talents to decorating the tractors at Skybury’s gate, near Mareeba on the Atherton Tablelands.
Ms MacLaughlin said Skybury had a longstanding relationship with Caffiend through the farm’s coffee and now with their papayas.
“Caffiend’s reputation as a venue for art, food and music is ideal for The Fruit Box Show as a mechanism to help Skybury to talk to consumers,” she said.
“Music, art and food have been used for centuries to communicate and I think most people can connect with those three things in their everyday life.
“I find it increasingly hard to talk to consumers in an incredibly busy society where the cost of living is a big topic. The Fruit Box Show is a starting point to help raise awareness of the farmer.”
