Arnott’s has released a new range of Tim Tam flavours, including one it makes using strawberries the supermarkets have rejected.

In January 2013, Stuart and Alison McGruddy created frozen berry company My Berries from their family raspberry farm in Queensland in an effort to cut down on food waste and save the fruit that is rejected by big supermarkets in peak growing seasons.

And now, their efforts have led to a collaboration with Arnott’s, which has launched a ‘Sunshine Coast Strawberries and Cream’ flavour Tim Tam using 20 tonnes of fruit saved by the couple.

Mr McGruddy is a chef and second generation berry farmer, and told ABC that he and his wife were shocked at the amount of perfectly ripe Australian fruit supermarkets rejected because it didn’t meet specifications.

“”I’ve been to farms in the local area with strawberries that dump multiple tonnes a day, and I take photos of it, and it just blows me away,” Mr McGruddy said.

The issue of the lack of Australian offerings in the frozen berry market also helped prompt the couple to start My Berries after the 2015 outbreak of hepatitis A that was caused by contaminated frozen berries from China.

My Berries started out by bringing high-quality, fresh raspberries to the people of Brisbane at Jan Power’s farmers markets and Davies Park Market, West End. A year later, it has grown considerably and now sells a growing range of Australian-farmed fruit in over 250 gourmet grocers and independent supermarkets across Australia and Singapore.

And now, a deal with Brisbane-based company Nutradry, which turns the strawberries into powder, has meant that their strawberries could find their way into the iconic Arnott’s biscuit.

The Sunshine Coast Strawberries and Cream is one of four new Australian and New Zealand inspired biscuit flavours, including Murray River Salted Caramel, Gisborne Orange and Dark Chocolate and Manuka Honey and Cream.

“In 2020, we’d love to find more manufacturers that are willing to take that step to convert over to Australian,” Mr McGruddy told the ABC.