Borderland, VIC
Like the other seven billion inhabitants in the world, husband and wife Nelson and Zoe Dichiera have been allocated 24 hours in a day. But what they do with those 24 hours can leave the rest of us gasping for air.
Both are full‐time parents to four young children under the age of ten, and if that wasn't time poor enough, they're also full‐time farmers, specialising in organic table grapes.
Their (very) family friendly farm is located in Mildura, North East Victoria, in the Sunraysia region, renowned for its sun, and vast horticulture of grapes and oranges.
The Dichiera family has been farming around the area for over half a century. First with apricots, plums citrus and dried sultanas, and then in the 80s moving into fresh table grapes. In 2007 Nelson and Zoe took over the reigns from Nelson's parents, and with their young family they realised they wanted to concentrate on organic farming ‐ and they're happy they did.
"We're very busy, but the love and passion for what we do and believe in, which is growing food that our children can pick and eat direct from the farm, keeps us going every day", enthuses Zoe.
While Nelson grew up in a farming family, he never assumed he'd be working on one in later years. He left the farm behind in the 90s, to focus on working in other industries. But in the end, the call of the land was too great, and he returned, with his wife Zoe by his side.
The two of them have experienced the unpredictability that comes with farming, learning the hard way that what goes up, must eventually come down, and sometimes come pelting down, as Zoe explains.
"In 2011 we had incredibly heavy rains. It was our second year growing organically, so we were still learning, and we thought it was all over. Walking away was something we couldn't do, we had to get through it, and with the support of each other, and a lot of determination, we somehow made it through the harvest."
It's this passion and determination that has seen them go from nearly losing everything, to being the largest organic table grape farm in Australia today.
The complementary soil that makes up their successful story is made of sloping red Mallee sand hills, which are perfectly suited for their organic production. Most importantly, the taste is in the pudding, or in this instance the delicious, sweet grapes on offer.
To get to this mouth‐watering point, patience and attention to detail are demanded, as new plants can take two to three years to grow. Seven months of that is spent getting the vines and grapes ready for harvest, whose chain of events are as follows: the cold winter months are for pruning and soil maintenance, while spring is for leaf plucking (like it reads) and bunch thinning (also how it reads!), and summer is left for putting on the covers and watering, in time for a January harvest.
All of this hard work can be seen (and tasted) for itself in the fruit section of your local Woolworths, who Nelson and Zoe have been supplying to since 2011.
Being a great source of long‐lasting energy and a perfect pick‐me‐up for those peckish moments, Nelson recommends storing your grapes in the fridge, eventually serving them chilled with cheese.