Scott Moffatt & Co
Steve Moffatt ‐ General Manager
Established in 1924 by Allan Richard (Scott) Moffatt and his father Robert, Steve is a fourth generation specialist carrot and onion grower, as well as being the general manager of the family business. Located at Tarome in the heart of Queensland's beautiful Fassifern Valley with the breath‐taking mountain backdrop of the Great Dividing Range; this is an ideal place to grow world‐class carrots and onions because of the deep, fertile alluvial soils, high quality irrigation water and extremely clean air. The Moffatt's also run additional farms at Gatton, Harrisville, the Southern Darling Downs and Stanthorpe.
"We grow carrots around lots of different regions at varying altitudes in South East Queensland. This enables us to harvest year‐round, so fresh carrots are always available at Woolies", says Steve.
Carrots take between about 100 and 115 days to grow from planting the seeds to pulling beautiful fresh carrots from the ground. Once out of the ground they are taken directly to the washing and packing facility in Tarome, and 24 hours later they are on the shelf at your local Woolworths store. Immediately after that, they're ready to be eaten right out of the pack, fresh and healthy as can be.
Onions, however, take longer to grow than carrots, and they are planted in May and June and harvested from October to December. They're harvested by hand to minimise mechanical damage and maximise quality. The onions are then cured for at least 2 weeks in large naturally ventilated open sheds. This improves the quality of the onions and increases their shelf life. Then within 24 hours after the curing process, they are shipped to Woolies.
Since the early 1970's the Moffatt family have been growing and packing carrots and onions for Woolworths. Now they are supplying in excess of 7 million kg of carrots and over 3.5 million kg of onions annually. That's a lot of salads!
The trick to getting the freshest carrots every time is simple. Just look for a bright presentation, and when you pick it up it should feel firm. If it bends or feels rubbery, that isn't the carrot for you.
It's always a good idea to start the day with a fresh carrot juice. It's a healthy blast packed full of vitamins. Or if you want a fresh, sweet and crunchy snack, why not munch on a carrot?