In A Nutshell Autumn 2026 | Page 14

INDUSTRY NEWS

ABA welcomes new staff

New faces at the Almond Board of Australia include Peter Reynolds, left, who has taken on the role of Industry Development Officer, and Zara Lewis, who has joined as Marketing Coordinator.
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TWO new faces joined the Almond Board of Australia team in January. Peter Reynolds has taken on the new role of Industry Development Officer based in the Riverina. Almost 25 percent of Australia’ s almond plantings are based in the Griffith region, so Peter’ s appointment will make it easier for growers to access support from the ABA. The former Yenda Producers horticulturalist is already a well-known face in the Riverina, specialising in almond production for the past decade.“ Since starting with the ABA I have been checking out some localised tree issues on some regional orchards, carrying out leaf and soil sampling on the Rootstock Trial site, assisting some growers with Carpophilus Beetle trapping and helping the LandIQ technicians to identify new orchard plantings in the region,” he said.
In A Nutshell- Autumn 2026 Vol 27 Issue 1
Peter is available Monday to Wednesday and can be contacted on 0459 301 734 or email preynolds @ australianalmonds. com. au At home Peter has an extensive vegetable garden.“ Summer vegetables are very productive but need lots of time, especially in these dry conditions, more watering is needed than normal,” he said.“ When the weather cools off, I enjoy going for bushwalks in the nearby Cocopara National Park, taking lots of photos watching the bush regenerate after autumn rains, occasionally seeing the creeks running.” Meanwhile Zara Lewis has joined the ABA marketing team. As Marketing Coordinator, she will be raising the profile of Australian Almonds in domestic and international markets. Zara has been overseeing social media and website content for
Australia and South East Asia, developing content and marketing materials, helping to coordinate outbound missions including Thaifex in May and assisting with the distribution of the CRUNCH cookbook. Late last year Zara graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Commerce( Marketing). She has also contributed to cellar door activities, events and social media for her family’ s businesses Lambrook Wines and Kingston IGA, giving her a strong understanding of brand storytelling and customer engagement. Her passion for regional industries, local produce and creative marketing will make her a valuable member of the ABA team. Zara enjoys getting back to Kingston SE to see her family, trying new restaurants and spending time with friends in her spare time.