ABOUT US
As environmentally aware ‘foodies’ who love to cook, the idea of establishing a small-scale market garden came to us not long after we decided to leave our jobs and move out of Auckland to pursue a different pace of life on the land. Prior to this we lived and worked in Auckland for 9 years- Gus worked in International Trade (organic produce) and Jen in Animal Nutrition. While sometimes feeling like ships passing in the night (we both travelled a lot for work), we maintained a connection with ‘rural life’ by running a flock of 100 Texel sheep across three different properties in Whitford. Shearing runs thick in Gus’ blood so outside of his day job Gus would also spend his weekends shearing sheep on Lifestyle blocks around Auckland.
When we began our quest to find a block of rural land, we had one condition – it had to be close to the beach. The dream of a sustainable coastal lifestyle finally came true when we moved onto a 4.5ha lifestyle block on Mountfield Road in Waipu, January 2020.
Growing vegetables has always been a passion for green-fingered Gus who has many happy childhood memories of foraging in his grandparent’s vegetable garden in Wairoa. And for Jen growing Cut Flowers was an obvious natural extension and symbiotic accompaniment to the vegetable production.
If you can’t find us in the garden amongst the flowers and vegetables, you’ll likely find us on the deck drinking coffee or in the kitchen preparing food for a dinner party. On a rare day off, you might spot Jen horse riding along the beach or Gus diving for scallops, or on an ever rarer occasion- both of us out kayak fishing.
We feel incredibly fortunate to the Waipu community for the support we have received since the inception of Left Fields and in return we will endeavour to continue to grow a food system based in nature and community. “Food grown with care, by and for people who care”- JM Fortier.