Aotearoa Grown

Our Story

With summer on the horizon, Sara Bennett and Andrew Withell have returned to Grey Lynn Farmers Market with their delicious tropical fruit.

Have you always been farmers?

Not at all. Andrew headed up the Art and Design School at AUT and I was a consultant, supporting social good businesses. My PhD was in Community Health.

What prompted the change?

We were in Waipu over the first Covid lockdown and it forced us to rethink our lives. We knew that we wanted to grow something that was a positive response to climate change and was also good for people. We landed on papaya and it has gone from there.

You call yourselves Aotearoa Grown

Yes – it’s not just the fruit, it’s also us. Being of this place, Aotearoa, holds us accountable as kaitiaki, requiring us to operate with aroha and respect for the whenua and our community.

What does that mean for the way you farm?

We follow permaculture and syntropic agroforestry principles. We think about everything in layers, including layers across time, planting a diverse range of crops together to mimic the way they might grow in their original ecosystems. Everything is spray-free - luckily the pests that predate these crops in the tropics are not in New Zealand

What are you growing in that diverse mix?

Papaya is our hero fruit. We also grow pineapple, sugar cane, passionfruit, and nine varieties of bananas - all grown on our farm in Waipu.

How is papaya good for people?

As well as being a delicious treat, it is a super food for the gut biome. One of our most humbling and affirming moments at the market was when a customer with digestive problems told us that our papaya had changed her life.

How do you measure the nutritional value of the fruit?

We have worked with some independent labs, including Callaghan Innovation, to test the nutrient profiles of our fruit. Tests revealed our fruit is full of positive nutrients, including: polyphenols, micro enzymes, and mood enhancers.

Does your Papaya evoke nostalgic memories for some customers?

Definitely. When word got out that we have locally grown Papaya, people made a beeline for the market. We knew that we grow good papaya when a customer, with tears in their eyes, told us that “it tastes like home”.

Sugar cane is also more common in tropical parts of the world

It grows more slowly here than in the tropics, but it grows well. We crush the cane at the market so people can experience fresh juice – it’s full of minerals, and vitamins that aid digestion. The balance of electrolytes is excellent as a post exercise drink. And of course, it tastes delicious. We’re always delighted when people who grew up in sugar cane regions tell us that it tastes just like it does at home – like papaya, sugar cane can be a nostalgic experience.

How is Grey Lynn Farmers Market working for you?

The values and ethics of the market fit closely with ours, and we love being able to connect directly to customers. It’s great to provide so many people access to our fruit - we know that some travel across Auckland to get our papaya.

What new things have you got planned?

We’ve collaborated with a Waipu goat farmer who makes award-winning yoghurt (Belle Chèvre Creamery), to create a yoghurt that is infused with tropical fruit from our farm. And we have worked with Fresh As to produce dehydrated papaya and banana – freeze-drying maintains 97% of the nutrient profile. Look out for them at the market.

As published in Ponsonby News : November 2024