I & L Rizzato & Sons

Daniel, Olivia and Rodney Rizzato

Most of us are aware of the fortuitous event that gave rise to the theory of gravity, 'what goes up, must come down'. Isaac Newton relaxing under the shade of an apple tree, until a single apple released itself from its branch, falling straight onto his head. And as important as the apple is to the story, what shouldn't be underestimated is the gravity (pun intended) of the grower's role in this too. Without the grower, there may not have been any apple, and without the apple, we might be still scratching our heads.

Another example of an apple grower that can't be underestimated is I & L Rizzato & Sons. Though they can't take claim for being responsible for the apple that inspired Newton, they can lay claim to growing delicious apples for the past six decades, all the time located in the 'Granite Belt Food Bowl Region' of Pozieres, Southern Queensland.

The year was 1954 when Ido and Linda Rizzato commenced their apple farming business on 50 acres. In the sixty years since, the orchard has grown to a fantastic 300 acres, and is now owned and operated by one of Ido and Linda's sons Dino, and his wife Ornella. Alongside them is the third generation of Rizzato apple growers, their three children Daniel, Olivia and Rodney, each playing a pivotal role in the continued success of the business.

Growing up, Daniel, Olivia and Rodney knew they wanted to be involved in growing apples. At every chance, before and after school, the three siblings would be out in the orchard or shed helping their mum and dad, or on a tractor or cherry picker picking apples, and now as adults, they still can't think of anything else they'd rather be doing.

What they collectively enjoy most about their three varied roles as growers is the satisfaction of planting a paddock with new trees and seeing them grow into a fruiting tree of exceptional quality. It's something we enjoy at Woolworths too, having been the recipients of their juicy, tasty and crisp Granny Smith, Royal Gala, Pink Lady, Red Delicious, Fuji and Sundowner apples for over twenty years.

From planting a tree it takes four years to grow a commercial crop of apples. During the winter months while the trees are dormant, they are pruned back. In September/October the trees flower, which in turn attracts bees to the flowering bud for pollination. Harvesting happens from January through to May, when the apples are handpicked for their best possible quality, and before you know it, they're ready for you to handpick when you're in the fruit and veg section of your local Woolies.

For a yummy dessert the Rizzato siblings recommend cooking with Granny Smith apples. One of their favourite, and quick recipes is to stew the Granny Smiths, and then serve it warm with vanilla custard or ice-cream. And while we don't know the variety of apple that knocked the theory of gravity out of Isaac Newton, it can be assumed with a mouth-watering recipe like that, his preference probably would've been for a Granny Smith.