ABOUT US
OUR STORY
Where it all began...
One of Eden's earliest childhood memories is of him running through the orange orchard that we still pick from today, spending hours chasing the irrigation sprinklers and squealing with laughter when he was hit with water. Growing up on a farm, it's a childhood unlike any other - filled with mud pies, tractor rides and a whole lot of dirt. It's a childhood defined by memories and smells, and it instilled Eden with a love and respect for the land that few could understand; a connection with nature that really is incomparable.
In 2012, Eden bought the farm we call home today to give his parents a chance to retire. With nothing but a mature orange orchard in the ground, Eden began his journey as a fourth generation farmer. With no avenues to sell his produce, he started small - planting an acre of zucchini's and focusing solely on improving the health of the soil after years of neglect.
Slowly but surely, Eden and his wife, Louise, expanded the market garden to near capacity and began selling directly through local farmer markets, deciding to cut out the middle man entirely. After three years of farming with nature and staying true to the farming methods passed down from Eden's Nonna, obtaining our organic certification was a natural next step.
Over the last nine years we've achieved more than we could have ever hoped for on the farm but our greatest achievement to date is welcoming our son, Jude, in to the world in 2020. We can already tell he's going to be daddy's little shadow, putting on his gumboots in the morning and wanting to go wherever Eden goes. Everything we've worked so hard for now makes sense, and there is going to be nothing more special than watching Jude grow up on the same farm where his dad did, running through that same orchard and hearing his squeals of laughter as the sun sets over our special place.
OUR FARMING PRACTICES
We're growing our future from the soil up
Fanelli Organics is a working farm set on 45 acres within the NSW Central Coast hinterland. We grow a diverse range of certified organic fruit and vegetables seasonally using regenerative farming practices to enhance biodiversity, improve soil health and reduce our environmental impact. We have been certified organic through the ACO since 2017 - meaning we use absolutely no nasties and work only with mother nature to grow our produce.
Not only do we use traditional, sustainable practices that have been passed down through Eden's family such as composting, ground spelling, companion planting and crop rotation, but our farm has been developed with environmental sustainability front of mind. Water flow is completely controlled, windbreaks have been planted and organic matter such as oats, legumes and sunflowers are used regularly as part of our cover cropping rotation system to minimise soil disturbance.
We are also close friends of the birds and the bees. We are continually replanting native trees, shrubs and wildflower to run through the farm to attract native fauna. This not only helps restore natural habitats but it has enabled us to manage pests and disease without the need for chemicals.
OUR FOCUS
We're community minded, always
We're a small family business with big dreams of continuing to regenerate the land on which we farm and reconnecting people with the source of their food. We sell our produce directly to the community through local farmer markets and our farm stand, as well as to local restaurants, cafes and co-ops with like-minded values to ours.
We also love opening our gates to let our local community gain hands-on farm experience and to enjoy the overall beauty of our special space. We regularly run farm tours, pick-your-own days, mini farmer workshops and educational on-farm sessions with farmers, families and local schools.
We are always looking at ways we can work with and engage with our local community, and one of our most recent projects has seen us working with local cafes in Sydney and on the Central Coast to use their coffee grounds as part of our compost mix. The high carbon content not only helps feed our soil but it helps reduce the organic matter that would have otherwise ended up in landfill. If you're a local business that would like to get involved, we'd love to hear from you!
Images by Still Image Photography
