A long-running Sunshine Coast family business has been crowned Australia’s favourite fruit and vegetable store for the second straight year after attracting thousands of customers.
Erbacher’s Fruit and Vegetables won the ‘A better choice!’ 2026 Retailer of the Year – People’s Choice Award.
Part-owner and third-generation Erbacher family member Tanya Husband was delighted.
“Thank you to our community for all your support. I’m so proud of our team,” she said.
Ms Husband started helping her grandparents at the store by collecting eggs when she was two years old.
“It’s wonderful to be recognised for doing what we love. We focus on consistently delivering old fashioned service and sharing our fresh produce tips and insights with customers,” she said.
“We still have someone on hand to help customers with their shopping, including carrying groceries to their cars for those who need an extra hand. We haven’t moved from the shop that was built from the old chook shed. That’s what customers love, and they’ve been coming back for generations.”
The fruit and veg store was founded by Eric and Thelma Erbacher in 1965 and is now run by Ms Husband alongside her father, brother and uncle, with the support from the wider family.
The business spans four generations, with second, third and fourth-generation family members continuing the Erbacher tradition of serving the local community.
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“Customers tell us not to change and we’re happy to continue bringing them a large variety of the highest-quality, fresh produce at affordable prices,” Ms Husband said.
“We hand-select the best fruit and vegetables straight from the Brisbane Markets, and source fresh strawberries, greens and eggs from trusted local growers and suppliers.
“We have very loyal customers, some travelling for more than an hour from as far as Gympie and Brisbane for their weekly shop. The fact that they are supporting a family-owned and operated local business means the world to us.”
This is the second national ‘A better choice!’ 2026 Retailer of the Year – People’s Choice Award for Erbacher’s and its fourth state award.
Erbacher’s beat 440 fruit and vegetable shops nationally to take the win with 4405 votes.
They were followed by Minchinbury Fruit Market (3943 votes) and Trims Fresh Merrylands (3840 votes) in New South Wales.
‘A better choice!’ national program manager Nina Torkman said produce stores were popular.
“This year’s close competition and high number of customer votes is testament to the outstanding service and exceptional fresh produce provided by independent, local fruit and vegetable stores around Australia,” she said.
“We had more than 63,541 votes from customers this year, which is triple last year’s votes. It’s fantastic to see so many customers supporting their local fruit and veg store by voting and shopping locally.”
The Erbacher’s win was applauded by Brismark, which represents Queensland’s fresh fruit and vegetable wholesalers at the Brisbane Markets and oversees the ‘A better choice!’ retailer program in Queensland.
“The Erbacher’s team has earned the trust of its community over generations,” Brismark CEO and Brisbane Markets Limited managing director and CEO Andrew Young said.
“Customers know they will find not only a large variety of fresh, quality produce, but also genuine service and people who care.”
“Their longstanding relationships with wholesalers at the Brisbane Markets allow them to source the best Australian-grown fruit and vegetables from Queensland’s Heart of Fresh Produce and have it on shelves within hours, giving shoppers exceptional freshness and value. It is a well deserved recognition for a family business that continues to put quality, affordability and local relationships at its core.”
Fresh Sensations in Brisbane placed second in Queensland, and Fruity Life in Nambour placed third.
