A fifth-generation family farm in Gippsland has received a $183,000 grant from Coles to increase its production of watercress to 1200 kg a week.
Riviera Farms, Lindenow, will use the funding to build a commercialised growing and harvesting facility for watercress, a leafy green superfood that is growing in popularity in Australia.
The grant will increase production to 12 months of the year, and create up to 10 new jobs.
Brothers Nelson and Malcolm Cox took over the business from their parents in the 1990s, which originally started as a dairy farm in the 1930s.
They recently purchased a former seedling nursery in Lindenow and completed a small-scale watercress trial in two existing hot houses on the property.
During that time, the farm produced about 300 kg of watercress a week.
“We’ve been trialing watercress for around 12 months and there’s a lot of interest from our customers. The funding means we can build three new hot houses to increase production to a commercial scale and supply product consistency throughout the year,” Nelson said.
“We’re on track to have the new hot houses up and running within the next four months.”
The hot houses will have adjustable roofing for temperature control, as well as irrigation infrastructure to water the crops.
The business will also construct a cool room so the watercress can be cooled as soon as it is harvested, before being transported to the processing facility down the road.
Coles managing director John Durkan said he was impressed by the farm’s innovative approach.
“It’s great to see Riviera Farms looking at ways to create efficiencies and capture new market opportunities to expand. This benefits the entire horticulture industry so we’re thrilled to be able to support them with a Coles Nurture Fund grant,” Mr Durkan said.
Coles launched the Coles Nurture Fund in April 2015, announcing it would provide $50 million in grants and interest-free loans over five years to businesses in the food and grocery sector.
Round three funding applications are now open.
