David Collins
The Master of Exotic Mushrooms
David Collins purchased Country Fresh mushrooms from the Arrold
family in 1999 after working in the Food Industry as a Food
Technologist for over 36 years. He has extensive experience with
companies such as Edgell Birdseye, Goodman Fielder, Uncle Tobys,
Woolworths, Reckitt and Coleman, All States Food Service and Moratis
Group.
David has a Science Degree with majors in Chemistry and
Microbiology together with post graduate studies in Food Technology
and Food Analysis. Whilst at University David became fascinated by
fungi under the microscope….it was an amazing world that had to
be seen to be believed.
His father Bill Collins was taught by
Professor Reuter the father of Food Technology in Australia. In
those days Bill worked for Wally Magwick in the NSW Health Department
testing sausages for sulphur dioxide and did early forensics
testing for heavy metal poisoning.
Many early food Technologists
were Chemist or Industrial Chemists that grew up within the industry.
In 1964 David worked for Dr Scalia at Uncle Tobys, Lane Cove assisting
him with developing the first modified waxy maize starch in Australia
It wasn’t until the early 70’s that frozen food containers were
introduced. At the time David was working with Edgell
Birdseye as the QA Manager and monitored the first successful trial
shipment of Birdseye Fish Fingers from the UK into Australia. As part
of the testing regime every consignment was sampled for compliance and
the following shipment, when evaluated by David, was found to be
contaminated with styrene monomer because the containers had not been
correctly cured. This resulted in a massive insurance claim.
Of the
50 years in the Food Industry 35 years have been in the Fruit &
Vegetables Industry. Fresh Fruit and Vegetable have become his passion
and more recently David set out to become The Master of Exotic
Mushrooms after discovering the remarkable nutritional and medicinal
health benefits of Exotic Mushrooms.