A portion of one of North Queensland's most significant horticultural portfolios, developed over more than seven decades by the Howe family, is being offered to the market.
The portfolio comprises six farms spanning approximately 1,541 hectares located on the Atherton Tablelands, one of the world’s premier horticultural regions. The portfolio offers both scale, water abundance and security, and commodity diversification spanning established citrus, avocado, lychee, and sugarcane plantings, vertically integrated coffee production assets and irrigated agriculture development sites.
The sale will be undertaken by way of a flexible expression of interest process, allowing interested parties to bid on individual properties or the portfolio as a whole. This creates multiple pathways for future owners ranging from continued family ownership through to institutional investment and strategic expansion.
Elders Real Estate CEO, Tom Russo, said the portfolio represented a unique combination of scale, diversification and legacy.
"Opportunities of this calibre and significance are exceptionally rare. The Howe family has spent generations assembling, developing and improving a portfolio that reflects the evolution of agriculture across the Atherton Tablelands."
"This is far more than a collection of farms. It is the culmination of more than 70 years of family stewardship, innovation and investment in one of Australia's most productive horticultural districts."
About the properties
Masterton Park
The largest property in the portfolio, Masterton Park is located at Mutchilba and spans an area of 825 hectares.
It is a serene fertile expanse situated at the base of rolling hills and featuring a substantial dam that is home to multiple species of birds and nature. An established citrus platform and the portfolio's principal irrigation development opportunity. The property is highly fertile and has historically been recognised for its prize winning sugar harvests.
Land use is 65.74 hectares of mandarin orchard under five years of age, 419.50 hectares of centre-pivot irrigation country and 339.76 hectares of additional country. This farm includes a substantial shed and home.
Cirrani's
Located at Mareeba and covering 97.22 hectares, Cirrani's is currently undeveloped to permanent horticulture and represents the portfolio's principal greenfield opportunity or a lifestyle family farm holding. The farm includes a substantial shed and a four-bedroom home.
DiMarcos
Located at Arriga and covering 198.60 hectares, the property's current enterprise is sugar cane, with potential for development.
Godfrey's
Located at Arriga and covering 49.20 hectares, Godfrey's is the portfolio's coffee processing hub and its most diversified property.
There is 22.57 hectares of coffee, 12.99 hectares of lychee orchard, 6.43 hectares plantable and 7.21 hectares support. Features:
- packing shed and coffee processing plant
- 12,990 square metres of netting
- workshops and sheds
- two homes.
Rasos
Located at Mareeba and spanning 51.91 hectares, this is the portfolio's principal coffee holding: 51.91 hectares carrying 48.64 hectares of established coffee plantation. The farm includes a substantial shed and two homes.
Falvos
Located at Mareeba and spanning 35.95 hectares, Falvos features 19.53 hectares of avocado orchard, 13.76 hectares developable. It also has a three bedroom tenanted home.
Howe Farming Chairman Ian Wilton said the offering represented an important moment in the history of a business that had helped shape agriculture throughout the region.
"The Howe family has been part of the fabric of the Tablelands for generations and these farms tell the story of that journey."
“The Mareeba region on the Tablelands is the perfect location to innovate and establish a diverse portfolio of high value crops."
"As custodians of these assets, the family has always focused on long-term sustainability and regional development. We believe the portfolio now presents incoming investors with an exceptional platform for future growth."
“This aggregation represents only a portion of the Howe Farming enterprise. Proceeds of the sale will be reinvested into further developing the remaining Howe Farming portfolio.”
The Howe Farming Group history
The sale marks a significant milestone for Howe Farming Group, a family enterprise founded by Tom and Yola Howe in the early 1950s. It grew from a small tobacco and vegetable operation near Mareeba into one of the Atherton Tablelands' most influential agricultural businesses. Under the leadership of second-generation farmer Dennis Howe OAM, the business diversified into avocados, peanuts, bananas, coffee and citrus, becoming one of the region's largest private employers and a recognised innovator within Australian agriculture.
Few agricultural portfolios in Australia can claim to tell the story of an entire region's development. Over more than 70 years, the Howe family assembled a collection of assets that reflects the evolution of farming across the Atherton Tablelands, from tobacco and vegetables through to today's high-value horticultural industries.
Following the passing of Dennis Howe in 2025, the Howe family has completed a strategic review of its substantial portfolio and has elected to divest this selection of properties in order to focus on its core enterprises.
Among the portfolio's most compelling opportunities is its exposure to Australia's developing coffee industry, including an established coffee plantation and associated processing infrastructure. The portfolio includes more than 155,000 coffee trees together with dedicated processing facilities, positioning it as one of the more significant integrated coffee assets currently available in Australia.
According to Elders General Manager Farmland Agency and Agribusiness Investments Mark Barber, the Australian coffee sector has reached an important point in its evolution.
"Australia is one of the world's most sophisticated coffee consuming markets, yet more that 95 per cent of the coffee consumed domestically is imported."
"Consumer preferences continue to shift towards traceability, provenance and premium quality products. These trends are creating opportunities for scaled Australian producers who can consistently supply highquality beans and develop direct relationships with roasters and consumers."
"The Atherton Tablelands has already established itself as Australia's premier coffee growing region. Assets of this scale provide investors with the opportunity to participate in a sector that remains relatively underdeveloped domestically but is supported by strong long-term consumption fundamentals."
Mr Barber said increasing supply chain focus on food security, origin transparency and premiumisation was likely to continue driving interest in Australian-produced agricultural products.
"We are seeing growing investor interest in differentiated horticultural assets that can access premium domestic and export markets. The coffee component of this portfolio is particularly compelling because it combines productive scale with established processing infrastructure and a location that is already recognised as one of Australia's leading coffee producing regions. The portfolio allows for significant expansion of the coffee enterprise."
Mr Russo said the sale was expected to atract interest from domestic farming families, corporate operators, international investors and agricultural funds seeking exposure to Australia's expanding horticulture sector.
"The Atherton Tablelands continues to strengthen its reputation as one of Australia's most important horticultural regions. We expect strong interest from buyers atracted by the quality of the assets, the diversity of income streams and the opportunity to build on the legacy established by the Howe family."