A Family Built on Fresh Thinking: Pukekohe, Waikato

The morning starts early on the Fong family farm in Pukekohe. By the time the sun rises, tractors are already moving, harvesters are in the fields, and boxes of fresh greens are heading to chillers. This is The Fresh Grower - a business that’s as much about family and hard work as it is about vegetables.

Allan Fong has been here most of his life. The face of The Fresh Grower, the farm has expanded from just 10 acres to over 500 acres of productive land under the leadership of Allan and his brother, Colin. Self-described as “the oldest dog around here”, Allan and his family’s hardworking nature and sense of humour are likely part of the reason The Fresh Grower has evolved into such a well-loved Kiwi brand.

Allan is the first generation of his family born in New Zealand, after his father immigrated here at age 14. That move set the direction for everything that followed. “Our business here, our family roots, are about 70 years old,” Allan said. What started as a small market garden run by his parents and uncles has grown into a large, modern operation supplying supermarkets across the country.

In the early years, the crops were traditional. “We were very traditional growers - cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce, potatoes, onions, silver beet, beetroot - all those sorts of traditional types,” Allan said.

However, competition and changing consumer tastes pushed them to evolve. “Our limited acreage made it challenging to compete with larger, more established segments of the market.” he explained. “So there were some gaps in the market that we were able to identify, and we sort of started on those and had a go with it.”

That decision to do things differently became their turning point. “We specialise in green leaf vegetable crops, salad leaves, lots of baby cos,” Allan said. “We do some crazy stuff like broccoli stem and lots of Asian veg. I started growing Asian veg when I was 20 years old - and to this day, we’re still trialling new varieties.”

They also built a name around freshness and innovation. “We rebranded - we evolved into The Fresh Grower,” Allan said. “It was a bit of a challenge to get into the marketplace. but we managed to establish ourselves after some hard work.”

Today, Allan’s family run most of the day-to-day work. Cameron Fong, the new CEO, along with Daniel, Matthew, Ryan, and Jessica- Allan’s other nephews, son, and daughter; are part of the next generation taking The Fresh Grower forward.

They started from the ground up. “My brothers, cousins, and I all started as harvesters and worked our way up,” he said. “Today, we run both the outside and inside operations - handling day-to-day harvesting, ground work, planning, scheduling, and virtually all commercial decision-making at this stage.”

It’s a hands-on role. “Every day is a long day - twelve hour days in summer. Things grow so fast we have to get them harvested and packed in time,” Cameron explained.

“We keep our crops fresh and high quality by maintaining them. Everything’s hand-packed, hand-washed, hand-cut - it’s very labour-intensive. We are all dedicated to making sure we’re growing the best vegetables.”

That focus on quality shows in everything they do. “Quality is important,” Cameron said. “People look at it and see that it’s fresh, carefully prepared, and handled with care.”

Behind every bag of greens is a team of people working hard to make it happen. “It’s hard work and it’s tough - it’s hard on the back, it’s in the cold, it’s in the wet, it’s in the rain. But I love it,” Cameron said.

Like many farms, they make the most of international visitors and working holiday visa holders who are keen to come on board, with Cameron rating their enthusiasm and good work ethic. For Allan, that pride in their people is part of what makes the business special. “It gives the staff and the younger generation a real goal. When they go into a retail shop and see our brand there, I hope they feel some pride in that.”

Keeping that freshness from fi eld to supermarket shelf is something they take seriously. “We sell all our produce throughout the North Island, including the lower North Island,” Cameron said. “Also, a little bit to the South Island. Mainly New World, Woolworths and Foodstuff s.” The process is quick and effi cient. “On the day we harvest, it goes straight from the paddock into the chiller overnight,” he added. “The next day it’s packed and on its way.”

Every season brings new hurdles. “Weather’s always a challenge,” Allan said . “We always have ups and downs, troughs and peaks.”

The Fongs are mindful of their environmental impact and how the land supports everything they do. They view sustainability as more than a buzzword; it’s an integral part of their responsibility. “All our plastic is reusable,” Cameron explained. “We’re cutting back on fertilisers and chemicals and we have started implementing cover crops. Sustainability is one of those main things we do a lot of work on.”

Cameron has his sights set on new ideas. “For me and for our business, we’d like to grow more crops and find different vegetables for the consumer to look at, and maybe have farm tours so people can see how we grow and harvest.” It’s an idea that connects people directly to the source of their food. “I think giving people the experience of coming out and eating some fresh vegetables on the farm - straight from the field - would be awesome,” he explained. “A lot of people don’t realise how much work goes into it.”

For Allan, seeing his nephews take the lead is something he’s proud of.

“We’ve been very blessed that the next generation is really interested in the business. They’re much smarter and faster and more energetic - they run most of the operation now. They’ve got time and energy, and they’re keen. We’re really proud of them and what they’ve done so far.”

“There’s only two things that I’ve got over them - one is experience, and the other is intuition,” he added with a laugh.

That blend of experience and fresh energy keeps the business grounded yet forward-looking. “For us as a family, we’re able to always continue growing and continue giving the best of what we can do,” Cameron said. “Growing the best quality, the best vegetables for everyone.”

The rows of multi-coloured vegetables stretch out across the Pukekohe plains, each leaf a small piece of the Fongs’ story. From the hands that plant and pick, to the families who buy and cook them, at The Fresh Grower, the work never really stops. For Allan and Cameron, it’s more than a job; it’s a shared journey built on family, resilience, and the simple satisfaction of growing something good.