VIRAL marketing is normally the realm of large PR firms with specialist staff and significant resources at their disposal.

But for one-person social media team Sarah Tucker-Boehm, it’s become an essential part of growing the brand recognition for her parents-in-law’s business Parkes Lane Produce.

Ms Tucker-Boehm has racked up millions of views across Instagram and TikTok in just over two years, after starting to post about the business at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Initially posting as part of Australian Avocados ‘Smash an avo at home’ campaign in April 2020, Ms Tucker-Boehm has found posting has boosted the Parkes Lane Produce name.

“I started doing it purely to get more people to eat avocados and to get our name out there,” she said.

When people see our blue boxes, if they know this crazy girl on Instagram or on TikTok and recognise Parkes Lane Produce and it inspires them to buy one or two, that’s fantastic and I’ve done my job right.

“We’ve got a lot more brand recognition. I have people who text me and say they’ve found our avocados at the shops or the Adelaide Central Market. 

“It’s helped us get in contact with other markets – in Victoria and Sydney it’s helped us establish those markets. It’s organically created interest in our avocados.”

Ms Tucker-Boehm said social media helped the business connect with a different audience and educate followers on where their food comes from

“When I’m posting videos on Instagram or on TikTok it’s about educating people on how food is grown and what goes into the process of it,” she said.

“If you look in your fridge I guarantee pretty much everything in there a farmer has grown or sourced or started the process of. 

“Even beer – yeast has to be grown as a crop, and so educating people on how things are grown is a huge part of why I do what I do on Instagram and TikTok as well.”

Parkes Lane Produce’s following has also allowed them to branch out from avocados and citrus into more niche produce, which they’ve found success selling to interstate markets.

“We have planted finger limes, which are a really interesting native fruit and we can’t wait to have a proper commercial crop,” Ms Tucker-Boehm said.

“We had quite a few this year but not quite commercial quantities.

“We also grow spaghetti squash and pumpkins…

I was given a spaghetti squash as a gift from a friend for my birthday a few years ago and it was such an amazing vegetable that we kept the seeds from that one and planted a small crop of our own. 

“I posted about it on social media and then I got contacted by the Melbourne markets who said they particularly love spaghetti squash. 

“Ours are ready before those in WA, which is one of the bigger growers. 

“They asked if we were interested in growing it commercially, and so we did. 

“The following year we got seeds and planted up a couple of rows and it just grew from there. 

“It’s not a massive crop for us, but it’s something that’s ready at a different time to avocados and having interest interstate has been fantastic. 

“Adelaide is slowly warming up to it, so hopefully we can get some spaghetti squash in Adelaide next year which would be great.”

Ms Tucker-Boehm has been part of the business, owned by her in-laws Mark and Dawn Boehm, for eight years with her husband, Aaron.

The Boehms have grown avocados for more than three decades.

“Our season for avocados starts at a different time to other regions,” Ms Tucker-Boehm said.

“Queensland just finishes theirs when ours starts, and it’s before Western Australia comes into the market. 

Queensland and Western Australia probably have the biggest numbers (of avocados). We fit into that little pocket, so we can help supply Australia with avocados when there is that shortage in the market. 

“It’s definitely a great place to grow for that reason.”

Ms Tucker-Boehm said Parkes Lane’s crop was looking strong due to ideal weather conditions.

“We didn’t have the long weeks above 36C like we have in the past and we also haven’t had quite as many frosts,” she said.

“Although people have been saying how cold this winter has been, for us we haven’t had those really chilly mornings as well as less warmer days…

“We had a bumper crop last year – every growing region in Australia had a bumper crop last year. 

“That meant there was quite a massive supply in the market and that’s why avocados were so affordable. 

“This year it is obviously down on last year, but there are still quite big crops going around as far as I know.”