New business serves up a unique 'paddock to plate' experience in Maffra
Image supplied: The Berry Dairy
Visitors to last weekend’s Maffra Agricultural Show had the opportunity to sample some unique flavours of Gippsland.
Among the traders sharing their wares was Food & Fibre Gippsland member The Berry Dairy, who launched their new business this week. The Berry Dairy team were out in the sunshine at the show, selling over 1,000 icecreams made from their local strawberries.
Located on a dairy farm in Maffra, The Berry Dairy will be open to the public seven days a week for a ‘pick-your-own’ strawberry experience. The new business has been designed to cater for all ages, offering both indoor and outdoor facilities that include a licensed cafe, petting zoo, and outdoor play area for children.
The Berry Dairy café menu features ninety percent local produce sourced from within a 100km radius of Maffra.
Grass-fed beef produced on-farm features alongside award-winning cheeses, wine, spirits, beer, and cider. Coffee lovers will enjoy locally-roasted Fat Cat Coffee as the chosen house blend, along with Gippsland Jersey milk, which will make for the creamiest lattes and milkshakes.
“We have been picking more than 30 kilograms of strawberries a day”
Although only recently established, the rows of strawberry plants are producing an abundant crop. Nicole Saunders, co-owner and operator of The Berry Dairy, said she and her husband Brendan expect their strawberry rows to yield even more fruit as the weather warms up.
“We have been picking more than 30 kilograms of strawberries a day, leading up to our business launch. This will only keep increasing as we move into summer,” said Nicole.
Expanding their dairy enterprise into a berry-picking agritourism venture has seen considerable thought applied by owners Nicole and Brendan. As parents of young children themselves, they’ve had Gippsland families at the centre of their business design and the structure of their cafe menu. Careful planning has been undertaken to ensure that the visitor experience will suit children and adults alike.
Image supplied: The Berry Dairy
They Berry Dairy are committed to sustainable practices and will be using zero plastic packaging, opting for biodegradable products instead.
Sustainability measures extend to other areas of the operation. Biodiversity is being encouraged through the planting of native vegetation for wildlife, while beehives are being kept on the farm to improve pollination. Recycled water is being sourced from farm irrigation; in addition, solar has been installed on the dairy roof, with future plans to expand the panels and incorporate batteries.
The award-winning dairy farmers opened their gates on Wednesday morning and officially launched their new business.
With the weather set to improve over the coming week, it seems like the perfect time for the strawberry season to begin!
The Berry Dairy, 379 Mewburn Park Rd, Maffra VIC
