Belinda Williams of Stackelroth Farms is Australia’s largest producer of the cucurbits, this year producing 500 tonnes.
She didn’t set out to become the nation’s Halloween pumpkin queen; the business just grew that way.
“It started about 14 years ago when a seed company asked mum and I to do a trial,” she said. “They could see the potential for market growth because of the way Australians tend to follow American traditions.
“We didn’t envisage that it’d get to this point ... we are surprised by how far it’s come.”
“It hasn’t just been us as the growers. It’s been the seed company, the marketing manager, our agent and partner growers who have all worked tirelessly over many years to bring it to this point.”
