With a dealer-manufacturer relationship spanning nearly half a century, Bertoli Farm Machinery and John Berends Implements are an Australian success story
When a long-time dealership owner is using a manufacturer’s products on his own farm, it speaks volumes.
Bertoli Farm Machinery owner Paul Bertoli has plenty of John Berends Implements’ products on his property, which not only keep his farming operations running smoothly but also provide a demonstration point for any customers wanting to see them in action.
Based in the northern Victorian town of Shepparton, the dealership has sold the John Berends Implements range for nearly 50 years.
Their stories are undeniably intertwined, with the relationship first established through the old-fashioned method of a face-to-face chat between their respective founders Paul Bertoli and John Berends.
Bertoli Farm Machinery’s website says the dealership “emerged from humble beginnings”, and it was during the challenges of these early years in the late 1970s that Paul was introduced to John Berends via a man named Richard Baker.
“Richard introduced me because he knew I needed a line of implements and John didn’t have anybody in Shepparton at the time,” Paul says.
“I did come highly recommended but I was really battling at the time.
“John Berends came and met me personally and gave me the opportunity to have his implements. He knew that I was determined and so he gave me an account.
“I’m eternally grateful for Richard for introducing him to me, and eternally grateful for John for giving me the franchise many years ago.”
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Fast-forward nearly 50 years and plenty has changed in Australian agriculture.
An influx of overseas manufacturing, the rise of technology and the consolidation of many dealerships into large groups has created a significantly different landscape to when Bertoli Farm Machinery and John Berends Implements first teamed up.
One major thing has not changed though, Paul believes, and that is a customer desire for top-quality, locally made products backed up by reliable and convenient service.
“It has always been the case, but particularly now people will buy Australian-made products where they can, especially when it’s made locally here in Dandenong,” Paul says.
“We want to keep manufacturing in Australia if possible, and I’m finding a lot of people think the same and want to keep Australians in jobs.”
The John Berends Implements range covers a wide variety of Australian agricultural needs, having been carefully curated over many decades to ensure every item is going to be a winner.
Slashers are their most popular product sold across the country, but the likes of stick and landscape rakes plus grader blades are also popular implements.
Aerators, disc ploughs, post drivers and carryalls are among the other items on offer, with every product sold by John Berends Implements having been manufactured at its factory in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong and being designed for Australian conditions.
Beyond just appreciating the Australian-made nature of John Berends Implements products, Paul says the quality and variety of implements makes them ideal as a year-round offering for the dealership.
“There’s an excellent range of John Berends Implements products and I’ve found it complements all the other products we have, and it helps us to be a one-stop shop,” he says.
“There are certain things that are seasonal, for example slashers and rotary drain digger, but by and large it’s pretty even across the board.
“We sell more pasture harrows and S-tine cultivators at certain times of the year, but we do sell them year-round.
“Overall, it’s an excellent product and it’s very well priced.”
Customer focused
Bertoli Farm Machinery’s location in Shepparton means its customer base includes plenty of part-time and hobby farmers, rather than dealing purely with experienced broadacre growers.
This has influenced the dealership’s decision to keep plenty of John Berends Implements products on hand, which enables first-time customers to see the range in person while also being able to accommodate on-the-spot purchases.
“We keep a good inventory of Berends stock available so if people need a particular item and they want it on a weekend or something, they can, because we’re always open on Saturday mornings,” Paul says.
“We get people from a couple of hundred kilometres away who will ring up and want to see a particular item and ask if we have one in the yard, which we usually do.
“I’ve got a lot of Berends implements on my own farm as well, so if for some reason we haven’t got one in the yard, then most likely either my farm or some of the farms around here will be able to show them one and demonstrate it if they need to see it working.
“With some of the smaller farms where people need a post hole digger or something, they know they can just ring up and we’ll deliver it for them, hook it up on the tractor, show them how it all works and how to operate it safely.”
Well supported
Paul remains at the helm of Bertoli Farm Machinery, the business he founded in 1976, while John Berends’ son Derrick is now general manager of the family-owned manufacturer.
They have a regular presence on the field day circuit, particularly in Victoria, and Paul is full of praise Derrick’s ongoing commitment towards supporting them as a dealership.
“John Berends Implements are excellent and they’re one of the best companies we deal with,” Paul says.
“I’ve known Derrick since he since he came into the business, because I’ve dealt with his dad for a long time.
“Derrick is always very keen to attend field days with us and support us in any way he can, which is great and I think is very important.
“People really like to speak to the man that actually manufactures the implements, and they can come and talk to Mr Berends, the man that makes them.”
John Berends Implements products are sold by an extensive nationwide dealer network, which includes Bertoli Farm Machinery.
Bertolis are located at 198/200 Numurkah Road in Shepparton, while the full Berends range can be viewed online at www.johnberendsimplements.com.au