Celebrating 130 Years: Resilience, Recognition, and Renewal
2022 proved to be a momentous year for Arnold's, marked by significant achievements, challenges, and a glimpse into the future. As The Border Mail reported, the business celebrated its 130th birthday while demonstrating the same resilience that had seen it through two world wars and two global pandemics.
Ben and Louise Arnold
In the face of widespread flooding across Victoria and NSW, Arnold's showed its characteristic adaptability. Louise Arnold, fourth-generation operator, highlighted the business's pragmatic approach to these challenges: "Prices have jumped for anything grown in the ground because there's less of it," she noted, while maintaining an optimistic outlook by focusing on seasonal opportunities with mangoes and cherries. The business's long-standing commitment to supporting local producers remained steadfast, with Louise emphasizing, "We will continue supporting the farmers and local producers as we get through this."
The year brought prestigious recognition as Arnold's claimed Victoria's Retailer of the Year Award through Fresh Markets Australia's A Better Choice! program. This consumer-voted award, announced in August, saw Arnold's not only leading Victoria but also placing third nationally, demonstrating the strength of their customer relationships across the region.
Louise reflected on the business's success formula, citing her late father Paul's strategy of refreshing the business every five years. This approach to innovation was exemplified by their online delivery service, now in its 19th year, which Paul had championed despite never using a computer himself. "Arnold's Online is a good indicator of how my father and his father were always looking ahead," Louise noted.
The year was made even more special by the arrival of Lucy Grace Sims, daughter of Maddy Sims (née Arnold), marking the emergence of the sixth generation of the Arnold family. This joyous addition to the family represented a symbolic bridge between the business's rich history and its promising future.
As Arnold's celebrated 130 years of service to the community, the combination of industry recognition, successful navigation of environmental challenges, and the arrival of the next generation demonstrated how the business continued to honor its past while building for the future. The principles that had guided the business since J.G Arnold's time - adaptability, community support, and family values - remained as relevant in 2022 as they had been in 1892.