Sonia Tarca: A Passionate Advocate for Growers and Continuous Learning

For over a decade, South Australian-based AUS-QUAL auditor Sonia Tarca has worked across farms and fresh produce businesses auditing participants to the Freshcare Standards.  

Having started her horticulture journey in a potato packing shed, Sonia brings to the auditor role a deep understanding and respect for growers.  

“To me, they’re the biggest gamblers in the world, they don’t need Lotto tickets. They put a seed in the ground and hope like hell it’s going to work,” she said.  

Sonia believes an important part of her role as an auditor, is to empower growers to have belief in their own systems and implementing best-business practice.  

“The strengths that all growers have is that they know their craft,” she said. 

“Whether they have a degree, or whether they speak English as a second language and have just learnt everything you know from a hands-on perspective, I think that they are a wealth of knowledge.”  

“I hope that when I audit, people are able to see that I do have empathy and a lot of admiration for what they do.” 

Why Audit Freshcare?  

Sonia was drawn to quality assurance and was initially motivated to audit participants to Freshcare.  

“I loved what Freshcare was. I loved that it was written for industry by industry, a sensible approach to managing food safety and quality that provided excellent tools for just about anybody to be able to use,” she said.   

Auditing offered Sonia the opportunity to help growers in a practical and hands on way through certification, while supporting the long-term success of the fresh produce businesses she worked with.  

“I wanted to be able to go and look at what people were doing and be able to report on gaps and try to get them to see how it’s not just about ticking a box.” 

“It is assisting their bottom line. It’s not just a cost of doing business,” she said.   

Auditor Life & Ongoing Learning  

While Sonia acknowledges the challenges of being an auditor, as it often involves long days and living out of a suitcase – she finds the work deeply fulfilling.  

“I honestly, truly love my job. I feel very lucky to do it, I wouldn’t give it up. I have no intentions of giving it up anytime soon because I just get so much from it,” she said.  

Sonia also has a passion for learning and recently completed additional education training in the form of a Cert III in Production Horticulture, to meet Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) requirements, providing further insights into grower practices.  

“It probably opened my eyes the most as to the various challenges and all of the different considerations and decisions that producers have to make, when they’re either starting out, expanding or diversifying in crops,” she said.