Stanbridge

Please tell us a bit about yourself 
I’m 74, a 2nd generation grower who immigrated with my parents from Italy to Australia. Maria and I have 4 boys, Anthony , Frank, (both of them work in the family business) John and David. Today I’m a proud grandfather to 6 grandsons and 4 granddaughters. 

How did you come to be a grower?
I’m 74 now so both of my parents, myself and my brothers all immigrated from Italy to Australia to find farming work, and that’s exactly what we did when we got here.

What did you grow when you first started?
Before we had a farm of our own, we first started growing vegetables on leased land and only when we had finally saved up enough savings did we then go off to buy our first farm. Our family farm, in the beginning, started producing peaches, apples and pears and then later, citrus.

We have a young growers program – what advice would you give the next generation of growers?
Have clear goals, work hard and nothing is impossible.

Not only do you have to have some business sense to you, you need to have the right mentality and work ethic. Working hard and pushing forward even through the tough times will go a long way. 

People often think all fruits are created the same, but in reality, quality is hard to produce, can you tell us the hard work that goes behind the cultivation?
Growing quality fruit starts from nurturing young trees and selecting the right rootstocks for soil type. Then using soil and leaf tests to select the correct fertilizers to maximise crop size and sweet juicy fruit. It’s lots of early mornings and late nights when fruit needs to be harvested. 

Do you work the growing business on your own, or do you work with the family. What role do they play?
I work the business with my two sons Frank & Anthony who are actively involved in growing and selling the best possible fruit.