Horowhenua StarHorowhenua food production was the theme for the Electra BA5 last Thursday, with three local entrepreneurs sharing the stories of their business journey.
The event, hosted by The Horowhenua Company Ltd, heard Carmen Gray of Elemental Cider, Jude Horrill of Ōhau Gourmet Mushrooms, and Daniel Todd of Woody’s talk about how they swapped corporate and engineering careers abroad for the challenges of launching food production businesses in Horowhenua.
The April BA5 panel, from left Carmen Gray, Daniel Todd and Jude Horrill, listen as Brendan Duffy speaks.
Photo Vicki Timpson
Carmen brought an international perspective to the panel discussion. She is a chemical engineer by trade, with 12 cider vintages under her belt across four countries. Carmen is New Zealand’s only female cider producer, competing with 50 cider companies. She spoke about carving out a place in the industry and the science behind her cider.
Jude talked about her niche market of organic, nutrient-rich mushrooms, grown on her lifestyle property at Ōhau. She described their produce as “functional food”, with health benefits that went beyond taste. She said the business had flourished through a mix of online sales and a strong presence at local farmers markets. (See also story above.)
Daniel spoke about his transformation from a one-man pig farming operation to scaling up after appearing on TV’s Country Calendar. That exposure sparked a move to expand production and in 2023 he bought the former Fresh Pork site, expanded his team, and now supplies major supermarkets.
Anna Robinson of Heights Farms, a beef supplier for Woody’s, said she appreciated the rawness and honesty of the discussion, saying “there’s a lot of regulation behind the scenes, and businesses can look all glossy on social media highlight reels”.
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