When fruit-seller Greg McCartney took on his 13.5-acre patch on Clevedon Road it had been neglected for years.
How is it now?
It’s fine now. It’s our 'Shouse' - shed house. We’ve completely renovated it and we live in it.
There are some huge greenhouses on the property and I once worked in horticulture. I knew that plants growing under glass have a huge advantage, so I went looking for a suitable crop to grow.
Why limes?
Being in foodies, we knew that limes are in strong demand. But limes are a warm zone crop so the season is short in Auckland. Growing them under glass has meant that the trees have grown faster, we can pick for most of the year, and we have green limes for much longer than other local growers.
Our customers love our limes. We sell to restaurants such as The Grove and bars like Coco’s Cantina, The Vodka Room, Revelry and Love Bucket.
How does the Farmers Market fit in?
Our only retail presence is at Grey Lynn, Parnell and Clevedon Farmers Markets.
We also have interests in orchards in the Coromandel and in Kumeu, so we bring sweet mandarins and crunchy apples to the market, when those are in season.
Tell us something about Arbie who is on your stall at the market?
Arbie is a student from Bangladesh. We’re really community-minded and treat our staff like extended whanau. We all take turns cooking lunch. I love Arbie’s Bangladeshi curries.