Fresh market idea for green tips

PETER DRURY/Waikato Times

BUSINESS OFFSHOOT: Asparagus grower Robert Macey sells his produce direct to the public.

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A Waikato asparagus grower disgruntled with the big supermarket chains and facing ever tightening profit margins has established his own distribution delivering fresh asparagus to your door within a day.

Robert Macey of Eureka, near Hamilton, says with six hectares to work on, the key to his business is quality, not quantity.

The former Englishman had been growing his produce for the supermarket chains Progressive and Foodstuffs but he says the big companies have growers screwed on price.

He also says the distribution chain means product is shipped to Auckland where it can sit in a coolstore for up to a week before it is distributed to shops.

His penchant for quality may come from his former life in the United Kingdom where he worked as a quality controller but he says he also loves the premium product he is growing and wants to see it presented in the best way.

"If it gets packed off to Auckland and is going to sit in a coolstore for a week it is never going to be as good."

"They were paying us $1.05 for a product which costs 93c to make. They have lost the concept of leaving a dollar in it for everyone else, they have screwed it down so far."

So, he decided to stop selling to them.

An agreement with Post Haste means his asparagus is now collected from the gate, orders shipped around the North Island with either same-day or next-day delivery. He is also working on South Island distribution negotiating with some of Queenstown's top restaurants to deliver his product to their door. A website is planned for the future but for now orders are taken via email. Two-and-a-half kilograms costs $21 delivered, while his premier range, which is purple in colour, is $26 for 2 1/2kg delivered. It is still cheaper than the supermarket which works out at about $26.90 for 2 1/2kg, he says.

The next step for his business, he says, will be expanding into olives. He has already converted half a hectare into Greek olives, and is growing an Italian variety and the Australian verdale.

He worked the olive press with the Waikato Olive Growers Association last harvest and says he is in the process of buying his own press and working on branding for his extra-virgin oil.

The olives and asparagus grow together well, harvesting at opposite ends of the season, he says.

His plans also extend to a tunnel house to grow asparagus out of season for the ski market which will pay up to $35 a kg.

People interested in ordering asparagus for delivery can email arem48@xtra.co.nz

- © Fairfax NZ News