64 | HORTICULTURE » Living Foods Living Foods produce grown naturally Young spinach growing in Pukekohe. Watercress facility in Mangere. Washing greens at SouthFresh Upper Moutere. Onsite laboratory at the salad facility in Mangere. Karen Phelps Owners of successful Kiwi business Living Foods, Vicky and Mark Goodwin, are firm believers that food is best when grown outside in nature. “Our belief in growing food has always been based around the health giving qualities of growing outdoor and we won’t compromise on this,” explains Vicky. “Plants need natural water, rain and sunlight to thrive, just like we do. Although at times nature throws a lot at us we wouldn’t have it any other way.” The couple started their business in 1994 with the aim of pioneering the fresh cut industry in New Zealand. They established their business by purchasing a small sprout company and then also introduced mesclun and fresh cut baby greens such as rocket, spinach and lettuce, first with bowls and then bags. Product is sold largely through supermarkets and wholesalers and the Goodwins have also recently developed their own brand Garden Fresh. Vicky admits Living Foods is a challenging business model, growing its own produce rather than using contract growers, then turning it into ready to eat salads. The business employs around 170 staff and Vicky says they are fortunate to have great dedicated employees. “It may sound simplistic but Living Foods is anything but. It is actually two businesses rather than one – growing and then running a food producing factory and distributing the product around the country.” Living Foods has a processing facility in Auckland for the North Island market and a facility in Upper Moutere in Nelson for the South Island. It has its own in-house laboratory where produce, sprouts and equipment are tested to ensure a high standard of compliance. Salads are washed and packed fresh each day. “We value high quality and this has been the driver of our success to date and moving forward. We are all about striving to please the consumer.” Sustainability and the environment go hand in hand for the Goodwins. For some time they have been rotating crops with a green crop. “These work really well in conditioning the soil and allowing it to be rested between crops,” explains Vicky. “We have been trialling applications of compost and bio-char (carbon) but these are very expensive and so there is a need to create a balance between these applications and providing cost effective produce.” They are also keenly following new developments in precision farming. “Two systems we are currently are looking at is working from the soil back to the crop and using drones to pinpoint issues in blocks. We are also looking at multispectral cameras on drones to see if this may help identify issues more quickly over large areas. We are investing in machinery to minimise soil cultivation, robotic weeders etc.” Demand is seeing the couple build a new greenhouse for additional production next year and to future proof their business against adverse weather events. In keeping with their farming philosophy, the top of the roof will open up to the elements such as sun and rain and close up when the weather is not ideal. They are also looking at building a new sprout facility next year. Proudly supporting Living Foods with supply and expert advice regarding Seed, Seed Treatments & Crop Covers. 45 Kitchener Road, Pukekohe, Auckland 09 237 1153 www.seedandfield.co.nz Some of the new range of garden fresh salads. An early morning shot of greens ready for harvest. “This will enable us to increase not only our volumes further but also allow us to grow some new sprouts. I am very excited about this as I love sprouts as much now as when we first bought the company nearly 30 years ago.”
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