The growing family
The Tregidga family have always been growers ahead of their time. Phil's dad was one of the first to grow greenhouse tomatoes in NZ; Phil and his brothers pioneered the country's first hydroponic systems in the 1970s.
In the early 1980s, Phil and Jenny bought their block on the outskirts of Auckland. Phil built everything, from the plastic gullies where the plants grow to the plastic houses still used by the business today. The entire working area covers about half of their 4ha (10 acre) block.
“Dad built it from scratch and learned as he went along,” says Liz. “He's got that Kiwi ingenuity happening.”
While most growers endure backbreaking work, there's almost no need to bend over here. The hydroponic drains sit at bench height, and weeding is minimal. Crops such as carrots and beetroot are grown in large, reusable planter bags that sit on the ground outside.
They use organically certified sprays to prevent pests and diseases.
Hydroponics is all about water recycling and getting the nutrients into the plant for more fruit and higher yield, says Liz.
“Hydroponic lettuce uses 80% less water than conventionally-grown lettuce, and the water is recirculated, so it doesn't get lost into the ground.”
She's been helping her parents since she was seven years old. However, it was only in 2011 – after travelling around the world – that she started working on the farm full-time. She had lots of ideas. “They were doing a couple of farmers' markets. Then I came in and tripled everything.”
That meant growing crops they'd never tried before.
“Because we grow hydroponically, there was definitely a lot of trial and error to find out what would work. Like, we find rocket just goes to flower – I think that's probably rocket being rocket, it's pretty hard to grow. Fennel gets stuck in the (drain) gullies, so that's a bit tricky.”
Liz has been helping her parents since she was seven years old.
For the first five years, Liz spent a lot of time writing down everything she did in diaries.
“Like I'd write, ‘next year, in March, seed more beetroot for winter.' The following year, I'd look back and think ‘right, I need more beetroot now,' whereas before I'd been doing it in April or May and it was too late.
As a grower, she spends most of her time six months ahead.
“In December, I'm thinking about celery and leeks. In winter, I'm thinking about tomatoes and basil. But it's all fun, I love
planning, it's my thing.”
The bounty of crops under Liz's regime highlighted a big problem for the business. Their team could produce high-quality, nutritious produce and turn up at all the markets, but if it was raining, customers wouldn't come out to buy them.
“I thought ‘oh my gosh, I've got to find another way' – our income would be cut in half on those weekends.”
That's when she thought of selling veggie boxes, thinking it's better to work smarter, not harder.
“The family thought I was a bit crazy, but they let me do my thing.”
The family used to have to attend five weekly markets around Auckland, stumbling out of bed at 4.30am. When we first spoke to them in March, pre-lockdown, they were selling 60-70 boxes a week. They were aiming to get to 100 and had cut back to just two markets.
But when the country went into Level 4 lockdown, everyone wanted a box.
“It was madness,” says Amy. “We opened up the website (shop) on April 1 and received 250 orders for veggie boxes in two hours and had to close it again. It was awesome, but very overwhelming.”
The same thing has happened every week since. The team has been working long hours – all contained within their bubble – to get all the work done.
Normally, customers can choose a selection of fresh, seasonal salad greens, herbs, edible flowers, and a range of other vegetables, or opt for a mixed seasonal box. The massive demand since the virus hit NZ means they've only had the time and stock to do mixed boxes.
Liz is called the boss by everyone, parents included, but she says the business is a team effort. Her dad does the growing, maintains the hydroponic system, and handles the sprays and fertiliser. Her mum is ‘the backbone,' working on the farm, looking after staff, and offering moral support. Sister Amy created their first website and handles all their marketing and customer communications.
Liz took over running the farm aged 25 and says it took her about six months to find it was her passion.
“I just love that we're growing all these vegetables, then going to the market and selling them directly to customers and seeing how grateful they are. If (the company) was still selling to supermarkets, I wouldn't be doing this.
“Growers have a hard life, and it's so amazing getting feedback from customers. It's very much appreciated.”
It's also a lot of hard work. Before the lockdown, Liz was working seven days a week, but taking Monday mornings off to learn how to surf.