As the needle contamination scare continues to play havoc for the strawberry industry in Australia, the owners of one south-east Queensland farm are getting more serious with new ways to put their unwanted fruit to good use.

Already in the grip of a strawberry glut, Sunshine Coast couple Adrian and Mandy Schultz have been looking at ways to sweeten a sour deal.

They have a strawberry farm at Wamuran unaffected by the needle scandal but close to the first farm targeted.

Their Luvaberry farm has recently been turning reject strawberries into dried products and even beer to eliminate waste.

Ms Schultz said she had already begun to seriously investigate jam-making and chocolate collaborations as the needle-tampering crisis set in.

Strawberry beer is also another option on the drawing board, thanks to interest from a Brisbane brewer.

"I think the key here is sometimes small business and start-ups need to collaborate together to make big stuff happen," she said.

"I've got 200,000 plants. I can make magic happen with a bit of luck."

Buy local to support farmers

Other farms have turned to tourism and hospitality to boost their bottom line.

Sorry, this video has expired Farmers forced to dump strawberry stocks after needle contamination scandal

Robert Edwards from Strawberry Fields at Palmview said an onsite cafe sells merchandise and local products.

"We have our own strawberry ice cream, we have our own strawberry jam that the owner of the farm still makes herself and she's in her 80s," he said.

The commercial farm also offers visitors the chance to pick their own berries, which Mr Edwards said was a popular day out for children and families.

"They come out here, their parents can show them how strawberries are grown," Mr Edwards said.

"Ninety-five per cent of the people have got a camera in their hand, got their phone in their hand, taking pictures of themselves picking strawberries."

Mr Edwards said buying local was the best way that consumers could support strawberry farmers.

Brewer Jarrett Bravo is turning strawberries into beer. ( ABC News: Tim Swanston )

Meanwhile, Brisbane's Newstead Brewing is hard at work conjuring up something new from the little red fruit.

Senior brewer Jarrett Bravo recently purchased 120 kilograms of strawberries from Luvaberry to make a strawberry and currant kettle sour beer.

"It's tasting excellent," he said.

"Big on the nose on strawberries and quite sour, so it should be interesting."

The brewery is also working on a strawberry and banana cider.

Mr Bravo bought the fruit just before the needle scandal began, when the issue of surplus fruit was already causing headaches for farmers.

"I read the ABC's thing on War on Waste that they were doing with Luvaberry Farms so I contacted Mandy the owner and asked about getting some strawberries and they said there was a massive glut," he said.

"I feel bad taking the strawberries at the cost we got them for but that's still money in their pockets and we'll take whatever we can get to help them out.

"Without farmers you wouldn't have beer so for us to help farmers out it's a big thing."