Business Rural North Spring 2021

| 3 RURAL PEOPLE » Olliff Farms: Deonne & Dean Olliff Dean and Deonne Olliff (top) being presented with the People’s Choice Outstanding Food Producers of the Year Award 2021. Olliff Farm chooks are moved to fresh pastures regularly in their uniquely designed moveable coops. Pasture eggs for the ‘egg connoisseur’ Karen Phelps Olliff Farm flocks are small - 350-450 birds – and they are housed in state of the art uniquely designed coops on wheels that are shifted every few days to new ground. W inning gold at the recent 2021 Outstanding Food Producer Awards, plus the People’s Choice accolades has helped put Olliff Farm’s premium pasture eggs on the radar for the public, says director of Olliff Farm, Deonne Olliff. “With over 300 entries from all over New Zealand we are absolutely thrilled with this amazing result. Achievements like these gives us even more con- fidence in our unique farming practices and more importantly our end result of amazing eggs. “We are so proud to be putting pasture eggs on the map in New Zealand and pioneering this style of farming. People now know there is a better option than free-range,” she says. Deonne and husband Dean started their business in 2016. Dean, who grew up on a dairy farm, decid- ed to bring some of those farming methods to egg farming so rather than the chickens being raised in a fixed barn with an open door, as free-range chickens are, Olliff Farm chooks are “moved” to fresh pastures regularly in their uniquely designed moveable coops. A new style of chicken farming for New Zealand, the couple had to develop their system from scratch. “What many people don’t realise is that free- range chickens are in flocks of 5000-10,000 in “fixed barns”. The door is open, but because they can’t be “moved”, they are roaming the same ground typically for 18 months or more, therefore the ground is depleted of any nutrients. This means they often prefer to stay in the barn because that’s where their food source is. It’s not really what people imagine – chickens roaming in green grass,” she says. Olliff Farm flocks are small – 350-450 birds – and they are housed in state of the art uniquely designed coops on wheels that are shifted every few days to new ground around the farm. Deonne says that this style of farming ensures they are free to roam constantly on fresh green pasture, scratch- ing and foraging on new ground all day. Deonne says the result is eggs with a difference. In fact it was the taste of their eggs in the early days that quickly gained them customers. They now sell to the hospitality industry, select retail outlets as well as from the farm gate. Covid-19 had a big impact on their business. Initially selling 95% of their eggs to cafes and res- taurants they had to pivot their business overnight to go online reaching out to the general public to help save their farm. A facebook post reaching out to the public to help saw it shared 50,000 times in a week. Within 48 hours they had sold out of eggs four weeks in advance and their business has gone from strength to strength ever since. They are now in the process of building a new packhouse and shop on their farm, where they also sell products such as bread, bone broth and honey, so people who visit can more easily purchase as well as having a look at what they do. “The past few decades of conventional farming has been totally focused on producing volume and sadly nutrition has taken the back seat and consumers generally are more worried about how much or many they can get for their dollar as opposed to the value of nutrition in what they are eating. But the body demands nutrition not volume and we have produced a totally different product to the eggs we have been eating for the past 30 years. We’ve set out to show people there is a better egg and better farming practices out there and our premium pasture eggs are truly “eggs for the egg connoisseur.” “We are so proud to be putting pasture eggs on the map in New Zealand and pioneering this style of farming.” 09 426 4402 orders@falloonstockfoods.co.nz We are a Rural Retail & Lifestyle Block Store Stocking various: OPEN 7 DAYS 18 Kahikatea Flat Road - Dairy Flat Monday - Friday 8.00am - 6.00pm Saturday 8.00am - 4.30pm Sunday 9.00am - 4.30pm • Animal Stockfoods & Supplements • Clothing - Wet Weather Gear & Footwear • Fencing Materials - Gates & Hardware • Water Tanks - Pipe & Various Water Parts