It’s one thing to love feeding people – it’s another entirely to care so much about what they eat, that you grow the produce yourself. Such was her passion for food, that’s exactly what the owner of beloved Thai restaurant Chat Thai has done. It’s changed the ethos of the business, which first opened in Sydney in 1989. Today, there are 5 eateries, and if you dine at one of those venues, you might be lucky enough to taste the gorgeous organic produce farmed in the Byron Bay hinterland. To learn more about her desire to feed her own family and her customers with food grown with care, Palisa Anderson of Boon Luck Farm joins me to discuss:

• Palisa shares her favourite spot on the 46 hectares she’s transformed into a fully productive farm.
• Her passion for growing food began back in her Sydney days—proof that anyone can find creative ways to connect with what they eat, no matter where they live.
• What started as a mission to feed her family, has turned into something much bigger.
• Palisa talks about what inspired her to join the family business, Chat Thai, which her mum founded in the late '80s.
• With five restaurants and a commitment to chemical-free produce, Palisa explains how sourcing specialist Asian ingredients led her to start her own market garden.
• She discusses growing traditional Asian vegetables alongside Australian natives—and why biodiversity is central to her philosophy.
• For Palisa, sourcing produce herself is about much more than convenience—she’s found deep meaning in the process.
• Palisa introduces us to the IGLOO—an incredible piece of growing technology on the farm.
• She shares what she loves most about growing her own food.
• Palisa reveals the most unexpected thing that’s happened since she joined the family business.
• She clears up one of the most common misconceptions about her work.
• And finally, Palisa shares her ultimate dream for the future.

We hope to see you back on the road soon, to learn more about how Australia grows on the next episode of Australian Farmers with Angie Asimus.

Links:

Angie Asimus
Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram

Partnered with Australian Farmers

Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram

Chat Thai

Connect with Chat Thai on Instagram


Produced by Pretty Podcasts

There are few things more disappointing for a farmer than growing produce that can’t be sold because of aesthetic imperfections. Food waste is an issue that affects many primary producers, but with better technology and some entrepreneurial minds, that may all soon become very avoidable. Second Squeeze, as the name suggests is a business offering a second life to perfectly good food, that would otherwise be destined for landfill. To learn more co-founder, Brent Beauchamp joins me to discuss:

• Brent’s favourite Second Squeeze product that they have created so far.
• They turn perfectly good food, destined for landfill, into totally new products, including syrups and fruit flours.
• The promising partnerships with farmers to help find a home for so-called ugly fruits.
• Brent shares some exciting trials about to start with CSIRO.
• Solving fruit skin waste by creating products like Banana Syrup.
• Brent received a $50,000 grant and shares how they are using this money to support farmers by providing extra revenue that would otherwise have gone to waste.
• The feedback from some of the farmers and what Brent loves most about working directly with them.
• The relationship with OzHarvest and how they have worked together to solve waste issues.
• The demand and consumer feedback on these delicious and sustainable products.
• The challenges of creating a new type of sustainable product from food waste.
• The most unexpected thing to happen along the way.
• A common misconception about what they do.
• The ultimate dream for the future.

We hope to see you back on the road soon, to learn more about how Australia grows on the next episode of Australian Farmers with Angie Asimus.

Links:

Angie Asimus

Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram

Partnered with Australian Farmers

Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram

Second Squeeze

Produced by Pretty Podcasts

Pickles and McDonalds are a long-standing partnership. But many of us may not have thought about how those perfect circles are grown, fermented, sliced and finally, served up on your burger. Incredibly, there is just one family responsible for all those Maccas pickles Australia-wide. The Parle Family has been producing pickles for the fast-food chain, on their farm in Griffith, NSW for more than 3 decades. Operations Manager, Ben Parle joins me now to tell the story of the famous Parle Pickle.

• Ben’s favourite place on the farm.
• Although the farm has been around for a long time now,
• Ben shares that his father and grandfather were originally wheat and rice farmers before branching out into growing gherkins.
• In the late 1980s, Ben’s father started growing gherkins, and Parle’s Pickles was born.
• Ben explains that a gherkin is an immature cucumber which, once fermented, becomes the famous pickle.
• Ben is the next generation of the business. He’s been involved since finishing high school and once doubted that he wanted to continue with the family legacy.
• A McDonald's contract has been a life-changing deal for the farm, where they eventually secured 100% of the production rights.
• Ben shares some stories about how they have maintained the McDonald’s contract.
• What it takes to create the perfect pickle slice and what happens to the pickles that fail the cut.
• Ben shares his perspective on people who remove pickles from their burgers and how this trend has shifted over time.
• What Ben loves most about working on the land.
• The most unexpected thing to happen running the pickle business.
• The misconception about being the sole supplier of pickles for McDonalds.
• The ultimate dream for the future of the Parle’s Pickle.

We hope to see you back on the road soon, to learn more about how Australia grows on the next episode of Australian Farmers with Angie Asimus.

Links:

Angie Asimus
Connect with @angieasimus on Instagram
Partnered with Australian Farmers
Follow @australianfarmers on Instagram


Produced by Pretty Podcasts