Jade King

A Queensland finger lime grower is calling for targeted investment in innovation, collaboration and market development to support the long-term success of emerging fruit industries.

Jade King, 2022 Nuffield Scholar, has released her report exploring how boutique fruit sectors, with a spotlight on native finger limes, can scale sustainably to meet growing domestic and international demand. Her scholarship, supported by AgriFutures Australia, took her to nine countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain, Mexico, Guatemala, California, as well as across Australia, where she examined global models for high-value horticulture and the key challenges for scaling niche crops.

“Finger limes are a truly unique Australian product, but they’re still treated like a novelty,” Jade says. “We need robust research, postharvest innovation and strong export frameworks if we’re going to position them as a premium, scalable product on the world stage.”

In her report, Jade outlines how Australia’s emerging fruit industries often lack access to tailored research and development, particularly in areas such as varietal performance, pest and disease management, storage, shelf life and consumer testing. She advocates for strategic investment in research pipelines that are fit for purpose for boutique crops like finger limes.

She also highlights the importance of market access and storytelling. Drawing on case studies from Spain, Mexico, California and Guatemala, Jade explores how branding, traceability and postharvest packaging can help finger lime producers secure access to high-value export markets and connect with consumers who value provenance, sustainability and native ingredients.

“We’re growing something no one else in the world can — native citrus that tells an Australian story. Let’s treat it like the world class product it is.”