Hundreds join Australian strawberry farm for day of picking, eating, and breaking records

Underneath the Australian sun this 19 September, over 1,500 people were gathered at SSS Strawberries farm in Bundaberg, Queensland for a delicious – and record-breaking – day. 

Amidst a sea of leafy green plants and well-manicured plots, the community stood out in their red shirts as they kneeled to scoop up the fresh berries. The family-run farm was celebrating their 25th anniversary in the business, and a diverse crowd of local strawberry-lovers had joined them for the fruit-filled festivities.

In the words of Toan Nguyen, “[we wanted to celebrate our anniversary] the only way a farming family knows how: by inviting the whole country on to the farm.” 

And that they did – hosting a total of 1,522 participants and taking the Guinness World Records title for the most people picking strawberries simultaneously. 

Once the fruits were collected, the fun continued with an attempt for the most strawberries eaten in one minute – a record that was devoured by speed eater James Webb (Australia), who took home his first title on home soil. He smashed a total of 1,326 g (2.92 lb) of berries in just 60 seconds… and even though everyone left the field with bellies full of fresh fruit, it’s evident that James did the most damage. 

SSS Strawberries is run by the Dang family, led by seven siblings and guided by their mother, Gem Nguyen. The company’s name reflects the family's unity and hard work, based on a traditional saying that was frequently quoted by their mother: a single chopstick easily breaks, but a bundle together remains strong.

Consequently, this determined family has guided their farm from humble beginnings into the orderly, expansive plots that exist today. They are proud of their hard work in Queensland, and while brainstorming ways to get people to eat more fresh fruit, they thought of a record-breaking celebration that could highlight their farm’s accomplishments while sharing their community-driven success.

Thus, strawberry day was born!

Despite their enthusiasm for the event, Toan said that the family never expected that it would grow to be so successful. They brought in help from Gina’s Table, who helped them organize the festivities, given that a considerable number of attendees were required to break the previous picking record of 1,141 people, held by Watari Town (Japan) since March 2017. 

Nevertheless, their community showed up in full force – driving from all parts of Australia to take part. Each were from markedly different ethnic backgrounds, ages, and abilities, but all were united in their love of strawberries and their desire to participate in the attempt.

Read more stories about record-breaking fruits and veggies in our dedicated Food and Drink section!

And the Dang family was more than excited to host.

“Families won’t just leave with strawberries,” said Toan. “They’ll leave with a story: ‘I was there. I picked history.’”

Once everyone had arrived, stewards checked in participants, and Guinness World Records Adjudicator Sonia Ushirogochi informed them of the rules for the picking event. 

At the sound of a buzzer, everyone would be cleared to enter the field, whereupon they would have five minutes to pick as many strawberries as they’d like. As soon as time runs out, each person must have picked at least one ripe strawberry, or else they’d be disqualified from the total.

Yet with a field this massive, it wasn’t difficult to find some of the fleshy, heart-shaped berries – and many attendees walked out with baskets bursting with fresh strawberries.

Adjudicator Sonia then tallied up the total number of successful participants, confirming that SSS Strawberries had officially taken their first title of the event!

“It was an incredible day,” said Sonia. “With the Australian sun warming everyone's hearts and souls, the city of Bundaberg and beyond came together to support this family-run strawberry farm. 

“As the organizers guided me through the grounds, local residents kept dropping by just to say hello to them; the atmosphere was hectic, fun, exciting, and exhilarating all at the same time.”

Then, once everyone had picked their fill, the crowd rearranged itself around a stage – ready to watch some hungry competitive eaters take turns at the record for the most strawberries eaten in one minute. Previously held by famed speed eater Leah Shutkever (UK), the brave participants were challenged to eat more than 613 g (1.35 lbs) in just 60 seconds.

Nevertheless, competitive speed eater James Webb came to this event hungry for a win, especially for his first title claimed in his home country of Australia. Amidst the excited cheering from the audience, he was able to beat the five other competitors – and Leah Shutkever – by stuffing 1,326 g (2.92 lb) of strawberries down his gullet. 

That's about as heavy as half a brick!

Other competitors and James Webb, right.

“The energy from the crowd was electrifying!” said Adjudicator Sonia. “The crowd was shouting and cheering on the challengers, completely uniting with them in a shared mission to bring this world record home to Australia. It was a remarkably heartwarming moment.”

Following the successful attempts, the crowd dispersed into the fields to snatch some more berries, or pulled up under the shade to eat their fill (though perhaps not as much as James).

The goodwill lasted through the rest of the afternoon, as locals made friends with farmers, and the organizers brainstormed new record ideas that could possibly top this berry delightful day.

So congratulations to SSS Strawberries, and the rest of the fruit-loving public who showed up to this delicious day – you are all Officially Amazing!