Storm damage highlights need to diversify for Chamberlain Orchards

Not long after fourth-generation pear grower, Damian McArdle, returned to his family farm, he recognised that something needed to change.

Increasing labour costs and other costs of business were eating away at the margins of the 12-hectare orchard.

Mr McArdle, who runs Paracombe Premium Perry and Chamberlain Orchards in the Adelaide Hills with wife Amelia McArdle, began looking at new ideas.

About 2010, there was a boom in the popularity of cider, so they started by looking at capitalising on that.

"We wanted to value-add on any fruit that was not first grade, that was the drive to start making cider and perry," he said.

Using a grant from the Agricultural Bureau of SA's Spirit of Ag Excellence awards, he went on a global "pub crawl" in 2011, getting insight into how high quality apple cider and perry - pear cider - could be produced and marketed from experts in the United Kingdom and Italy.

From their first release they were winning medals, which helped to validate their move.

From there, the plan was to value add and produce the beverages and get them into as many markets as possible.

Then in 2017-18, the Adelaide Hills was impacted by hail, twice in a row, about the same time of year.

"There was a huge amount of damaged fruit in the Adelaide Hills and I knew we've got to diversify," he said.

"Ag tourism was a way forward for us.

"A lot of farms have this idea that next year will be better but I couldn't see that - I saw I had to change what we were doing.

"We were a price taker not a price setter. Tourism has given us resilience, year in, year out."

THEY had a plan to establish a "shed door", on-farm retail outlet, which included foods and functions.

The McArdles were among the early adopters of ag tourism in their area and they discovered many road blocks.

While the concept of cellar doors was not new, as they were not a winery, there were a lot of "grey areas" in the regulations.

Part of this confusion and uncertainty has meant Mr McArdle has played a role in trying to clarify the place of ag tourism.

He began taking part in advisory committees on the local council to push the agenda of ag tourism and in 2019 joined the board of Adelaide Hills Tourism.

In the years since, state planning laws have changed, and Mr McArdle says the Adelaide Hills has been creating more pathways for ag tourism for other local businesses.

He says there are a lot of opportunities for farmers in the in ag tourism space.

"The pick your own space is growing rapidly - people will pay an entry free and a dollar per kilogram rate, whereas you can sometimes struggle to get labour when you're paying," he said.

"There is a real thirst for consumers to know (about their food and drink)."

He said this was a message they had picked up from the early days of attending farmers' markets.

"They wanted to come to the orchard and see where it comes from, not be talked to in a carpark," he said.

They have tapped into this interest by creating experiences for consumers, including tours and tastings as well as blend-your-own days for home brewers or team bonding.

At the same time as these hands-on experiences, they are helping educate the consumers about different aspects of the farm and helping break down some preconceptions.

Mr McArdle said they found the customers were curious about all aspects of farming, and would often watch the tractors moving about the orchard and ask questions.

THE orchard started the process of organic certification in 2018 and became fully certified early this year.

The apples for the cider are sourced from a local organic apple grower.

These days the business has two parts - the orchard produces premium, organic fruit to premium markets, predominantly to the eastern states as well as Adelaide.

The perry, cider and juices they produce are sold mostly through direct retail sales at the property, and in some local Adelaide Hills cafes.

"We're still providing fresh fruit for the fresh market but we can back it up with ciders, which can last longer than the fruit, while damaged fruit gets a return," he said.

Mr McArdle said they wanted to tell their family story in their retail space, with their history on display.

Other influences have come from unexpected sources, such as backpackers working on the farm.

One, a French chef, influenced the shed door menu, while an Italian graphic designer created their logo.

While the diversification came throughout necessity, the new elements of the business have become as much a passion as the original fruit growing.

"Probably three out of the past four years, our cellar door would have overtaken the orchard in revenue," he said.

"We can see the growth potential in the (shed door), year-on-year.

"We still want to grow the best quality fruit we can.

"Our aim is to have both sides of the business be profitable."

He says the ag tourism side has provided an option for them to stay on the farm.

It has also allowed Mrs McArdle to leave her off-farm job and come back to the property full-time, with her now studying a Certificate III in Horticulture.

Sign up here to Good Fruit and Vegetables weekly newsletter for all the latest horticulture news each Thursday...