Project Local: Little Pirongia Farms
17 October 2024

At Volare, we’re always looking for ways to bring more local goodness to your table. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome Little Pirongia Farms, who will be delivering their fresh, spray-free greens to our Te Awamutu, Cambridge, and Main Bakery stores each week. You can find their vibrant greens in our Kaipaki Milk fridges, making it even easier to stock up on your essentials from local producers in one go. Fresh, healthy, and just a short trip away – it doesn’t get better than that!
We recently caught up with founders – Ali & Dan – to learn more about their journey into farming and what makes their products so special. Here's what they had to say...
How did Little Pirongia Farms come to be? Was there a moment that sparked your passion for spray-free farming?
We've always grown spray-free food for our families, and Ali has been growing flowers this way commercially for many years. We really enjoy farming the soil using organic growing methods to grow high quality produce, and so Ali and Rob decided to start a small Pirongia produce market in 2018 to enable others to enjoy the same good produce that we do. During Covid we saw issues of food security so decided to expand our operation and scaled up our market gardens to provide Vege Boxes to Pirongia and Te Awamutu locals, and our spray-free Salad Mix and Microgreens (which you'll find in Volare stores) in selected retailers to be able to get it to more locals who appreciate quality produce.

What makes your greens special compared to what we might find elsewhere?
Our customers consistently tell us they like the freshness and tastiness of our produce, which we attribute to growing in soil using organic methods to make sure the lettuce gets everything it needs, and then a high quality wash, dry, and pack to get it to fridges as quickly as possible after it's been picked.
Running a small farm must have its ups and downs—what’s been the most challenging part, and what makes it all worth it?
The most challenging part is the time needed - our method of farming is by definition very labour intensive so it's always challenging to find enough hours in the day, but we really enjoy the work, so that's what makes it worth it.
Why did you choose to go spray-free, and how do you keep your greens so fresh and healthy?
We've always grown spray-free produce for our family, so when we created Little Pirongia Farms we wanted to provide this level of quality produce to our local community. We focus on growing high quality produce and then make sure we pick, wash and pack to get it into our retailers as quickly as possible. We're also quite big soil nerds so do what we can to help the soilweb, which makes for healthy plants. This means making and applying lots of compost, as well as regular compost tea applications. We take joy from growing using techniques borrowed from regenerative and permaculture practices. We call it common sense gardening – growing sustainably, and being kind to the soil, microorganisms and our local community. We love bugs and encourage beneficial insects, and we’re constantly layering on compost to help build healthy microbiomes.

What kinds of greens do you grow, and are there any that people just can’t get enough of?
In Spring, Summer and Autumn we grow a Mesclun Salad Mix (a mix of baby lettuces and other baby greens) and in winter we grow a winter greens mix - growing seasonally is really important both in terms of the overall health of the plant, and the types of nutrients they can provide for us at different times of the year as our nutritional needs change. Rob grows a seasonal mix of microgreens all year around. Our customers consistently tell us they like the freshness and tastiness of our produce as well as how long it lasts.
How do you feel about partnering with local stores like Volare? What do these relationships mean for your farm and the community?
We've been big fans of Volare since ages ago and totally align with their goal of crafting products "that are better for our people, our providers, and our environment". This partnership with Volare allows us to get our greens to more local people who value good food and supporting their local community, and to be able to collaborate with another like-minded local producer, Kaipaki Dairies, using a shelf in their fridge means we can maintain freshness and quality. It's a win win win.

Does the Pirongia environment play a role in how you farm? Do you find the surroundings inspire your practices?
We farm three small plots of land around Pirongia Village, and are long-time residents. Pirongia has great loamy soil, and the mountain creates a microclimate which makes for pretty good growing conditions, usually.... (it does tend to rain a lot!)
What’s on the horizon for Little Pirongia Farms? Are there any exciting plans or new things you’re working on?
We're stoked to be partnering with Volare, and are excited to be able to bring our spray-free greens to more locals who like good food. One of the things we enjoy about market gardening is how much learning there is, so we'll continue to refine and improve how we farm, whether it be farming methods, or efficiency improvements in our post harvest area, and you can guarantee we'll always be giving new plants and techniques a go - you'll never know if you don't try!

We are so stoked to be partnering with Little Pirongia Farms too! So next time you stop by the Main Bakery or the Te Awamutu, or Cambridge Volare store, make sure to check them out.