A PRESTIGIOUS national award is heading to Tantanoola.
Holla-Fresh has won the Protected Cropping Australia grower of the year following a presentation at the recent annual conference of the niche horticultural industry in Queensland.
Headed by owner Ian Lines, the 30-year-old family company met the criteria for the ultimate accolade from industry peers who also use glasshouses.
“The award is great recognition for Holla-Fresh but it could not have been achieved without the wonderful efforts of the staff,” Mr Lines said.
The Holla-Fresh submission impressed the award judges as it explained the many innovations of the 3.8-hectare site.
Mr Lines often discusses more efficient solutions to processes on the farm with any one of his 60 employees.
Such small adjustments and innovations continue to maintain Holla-Fresh’s position within the protected cropping/glasshouse industry.
Driven by ever-increasing energy costs, Mr Lines researched ways to reduce the significant cost of running the business.
Mr Lines has installed a system which is in the commissioning stage.
Using waste timber from construction sites, the new energy system will have the capability to produce heat and carbon dioxide for the glasshouse, electricity to power a portion of the site, clean exhaust emissions, smoked water and biochar.
Every by-product of the energy process will be usable, making Holla-Fresh carbon-negative.
For each year of use, two previous years of carbon emissions will be negated.
To remove the reliance of the Tantanoola business away from two main supermarket buyers, Mr Lines is trialling growing selected Australian native bush food.
This requires experimentation of growing conditions to achieve a full-flavoured and robust product.
When completed, this will see an increased range of Australian native bush foods available on the open market both locally and possibly internationally.
This cannot be achieved without successful input from an indigenous Australian company.
Mr Lines champions for the ethical employment of unskilled migrant workers with the employment of migrants being essential to growing the business.
He said they make up one-third of his workforce.
“These employees are a pleasure to have and have proven to be reliable steady workers,” Mr Lines said.
“It is satisfying to see their input into the local community both socially and financially.”
