Swanport Harvest, SA

Don Ruggiero ‐ Owner / Operator

Being the first‐born son of the Italian immigrant parents who established Swanport Harvest in the early 1960s, Don Ruggiero knew his destiny would lie in the family business.

As soon as his parents Maria and Charlie bought land at Swanport ‐ near Murray Bridge about 80km east of Adelaide ‐ he'd make the daily 6km trek by bike along a dirt road with them to work in the fields. Working for the family was a big part of Don's life, but he loved it. He left school in year 10 knowing he didn't want to work behind a desk. A life on the land was in his blood.

On the farm, Don learned as much as he could from his parents (and by his own mistakes), and by the 1990s he was ready to take over the property from his parents. The business had grown from a small market garden supplying fresh produce to local markets, to a larger supplier of vegetables to Woolworths.

When he did take over, Don shifted the focus to lettuce and onions. Eventually the onion crops gave way to broccoli, with cauliflower added more recently ‐ and Swanport became Woolworths' biggest supplier in South Australia. That success hasn't taken Don away from in the field.

"We have always been 'field‐grown', open to the elements, but I love it.?I've always been around that sort of environment, whether working in the glasshouses at home when I was younger to helping on the farm in my teenage years..." ‐ Don Ruggiero

Don thrives off the challenges of supplying Woolworths, and loves being an innovator in the industry. Through hard work and persistence Swanport Harvest has built up a strong customer following, with demand confirming that they're on the right track.

Of course, becoming South Australia's biggest lettuce grower doesn't happen by chance. Don is continually working to improve the yield if their crops ‐ what he calls 'value‐adding', and was recently asked by Woolworths to supply a new lettuce variety ‐ Sweet Crunch ‐ for their Select range.

All this means that Don grows a lot of lettuce. Each week they supply Woolworths with around 18,000‐20,000 heads of Staycrisp Premium Iceberg lettuce, 10,000 heads of Select Sweet Crunch lettuce and 20,000 heads of Freshcut Iceberg lettuce.

Add to that twelve tonnes of broccoli and 3,000 ‐ 4,000 heads of cauliflower a week and you get an idea of the scale of Swanport's operations.

The crops grow all year round and they have to work fast. All produce is cut fresh in the field and cooled with their on‐site vacuum cooler to a 2 degree core temperature within 20 minutes.

But even when he's not supplying fresh produce at a frenetic pace, he prefers to stay outdoors:

"Golf is my hobby. It also provides a good escape from the hectic day‐to‐day activity on the farm. I try to get out on the course when I can at the end of the day, to wind down." ‐ Don Ruggiero

Of course there are challenges to supplying so much quality produce. They have to continually look at ways to produce the same quantities at lower costs. And even though the climate in Swanport is generally temperate, there are times when they are battling the elements.

The drought around 2003‐2005 was particularly hard and had a significant effect on Swanport's operations. But with so much invested in success, quitting wasn't an option. What they learned from those times has helped prepare them for the future. Focusing on the crops they knew and finding ways to improve and diversify.

Don's ongoing relationship with Woolworths, as well as industry recognition is all testament to the fact that he's in a successful business. But for all the hard work, he does get time to celebrate:

"I love travelling, especially back to Italy and cooking is a big passion. I love having my family all home for a big cook up, usually a pizza night, homemade and freshly baked in the wood oven." ‐ Don Ruggiero

What about tips for once they're on the shelves?

Lettuce should be firm and crisp, with a fresh appearance and a bit of weight. Select Sweet Crunch lettuce should have dark green outer leaves and no burnt outer leaves. Broccoli should be a nice deep green colour with firm stems and no yellowing on the florets, while cauliflower should be a creamy‐white colour with tight florets and no browning or yellowing. As for storing, they'll all last longer if you keep them in the vegetable drawer in the fridge.

Finally it's time for cooking and eating. With so much you can do with Don's produce, he's decided to share one of his favourites with a strong Italian influence.

"For a delicious pasta, cook pancetta, chilli, garlic and oil in a pan, before adding steamed broccoli and combine with your favourite pasta." ‐ Don Ruggiero

And if you have kids, they'll love their veg even more if you get them involved in the preparation.

Buon appetitio!