Fresh Produce Is Best For Pukekohe's Allan Fong

Allan Fong knows a thing or two about vegetable farming as he has done so for the last 40 years. Unlike with many other products, vegetables often need to be harvested early in the morning, at the break of dawn, to ensure that the cooler temperature preserves their freshness.

While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Allan is passionate about what he does. The family business, which he runs in tandem with his brother Colin, as well as other members of the family, supplies a wide variety of fresh and delicious produce to the wholesale, restaurant and retail trade nationwide.

The foundations for the business were established in 1948 when, after emigrating from China, Allan’s grandfather began growing a few select crops. Allan joined the family business when he was 16 and slowly expanded it to what it has become today.

The Fresh Grower offers a range of natural, fresh produce from staples, such as baby cos lettuce, which he had pioneered in New Zealand markets, right through to exotic Asian vegetables, such as Gai Larn (Chinese broccoli), and baby white Pak Choi, Choi Sum as well as Bellaverde stems (broccoli stems) which originated from Europe.

Their produce is sought after by a number of retail and wholesale organisations, including the Hamilton branch of Bidvest, the largest food distributor in the world, outside of America.

Bidvest Hamilton supply a large range of fresh, quality produce to clients in the Waikato region and Allan Fong has been supplying Bidvest Hamilton with fresh produce for approximately three years.

“It’s great dealing with organisations like Bidvest Hamilton as they really try and help us promote new products,” says Allan.

Allan is passionate about introducing Kiwi’s to new and exciting flavours and is focused on creating specialty products and developing a niche market in New Zealand. Which is what differentiates The Fresh Grower from other vegetable brands on the market; their vegetables are often unique, with quality and taste being one of their main cornerstones.

“It’s an opportunity to develop and build great food,” he says, and his passion for innovation is evident in the produce that he grows. Vegetables are often overlooked as a necessary component of a nutritious lifestyle, but Allan strives to transcend that stereotype, in turning necessity into art. That is why the products that he promotes resound just as strongly with top chefs as they do with home cooks.

The industry is not without its challenges, with Allan admitting it is a lot of hard work and long days. In saying that, did he consider doing anything else?
“No.