Celebrity chef Nadia Lim and her husband, Carlos Bagrie, have opened a farm gate store in Arrowtown.
Aiming to spread their message about growing food sustainably, the couple have opened their Royalburn Farm Shop in a former jeweller’s workshop.
Most of the store’s items — including organic greens, honey, eggs, some fruit and grains, garlic, lamb products, wool blankets, cold-pressed sunflower oil and, in season, sunflowers — come from the couple’s farm, Royalburn Station, on the Crown Terrace, which includes a market garden.
"We’ve always wanted to be able to provide our food and our produce direct from the farm directly to eaters," Ms Lim said.
"We’re so passionate about finding the best way to grow and raise food in the most sustainable, ethical way, that’s really good quality as well, and so we thought a little farm shop would be a good face of the farm.
"And for the stuff we can’t produce, then we go to other local suppliers."
To staff the shop, the couple — co-founders of the successful My Food Bag business — use their farm workers and managers.
"They’re going to come down and do some hours in the shop so they can actually talk to our customers," Ms Lim said.
"Our customers can ask them any questions they like about how the food is grown and raised."
By Philip Chandler
