SALADS
Salads are a great addition to any meal.
For episode 8, we visited Tripod Farmers in Bacchus marsh - one of Australia's largest salad producers. I have driving past their operation for a few years but never once realised how big the operation actually was. We were fortunate, through tripods general manager, Jay Beshara, to get an interview with one of the founding farmers Frank Ruffo, who with his brother, started the company some 30 odd years ago.
From a hands on operation with a couple of tractors and washing their salads by hand, Tripod farmers have grown to being a multi-national company, not only supplying the complete eastern seaboard of Australia but also exporting all around the world. They grown their 20 something varieties of leaves on approximately 350 acres in Bacchus Marsh and a further 400 acres in Gippsland Victoria. It is staggering just how much salad these guys produce.
When we think of salad in a bag, we assume that it is simply wash and bagged and that is it entire process. This could not be farther from the truth. Jay Beshara, during our first meeting, offered to take me for a tour of their facilities. Talk about having a chefs moment! From this simple 30 minute tour, the sudden realisation of actually how well that product was treated and the quickness that it was packaged was mind blowing. Within their factory, which from the road simple resembles some big white sheds, lies a magnificent designed, state of the art packaging facility employing hundreds of employees. Everyone of them had a smile on their face. I was so impressed!
Within 10 minutes of the leaves being picked they are washed for the first time, with all grey water filtered back through a 3 stage filtration tank where both the water and the silt are reused. They then enter the second washing stage, which removes additional dirt or foreign bodies that may have missed the first stage. The leaves then shoot off to the controlled room - a completely controlled environment with strict OH&S practices and food safety standards the likes I have never seen before. Not a stone is left unturned in this process. Within this room it is washed for the 3rd time before it is packed and shoots out the other side to be boxed, refrigerated and delivered. I actually got to see the same rocket that had been washed when we entered, shooting out the other side ready for distribution some 20 minutes later as we reached that side of the facility. My goodness it was impressive. Not only do they employ their pickers, washers and packers, but also a complete team of food scientists who's focus is on creating different variants and monitoring, via international food standards, every single process of the production. The entire business is monitored and they can literally follow the salad from seed, right through to where it has been delivered. Their tractors in the fields are even satellite tracked to minimise the impact of them during the salad growing period. A massive thanks to Jay Beshara for giving me the opportunity to check out this amazing facility.
So at the agreed time, we met Frank Ruffo at one of his amazing fields. Frank was such a passionate bloke. He really new everything there was to know about his product. A truly inspirational man. He explained the plants journey to the dinner plate and even showed us the subtle difference between variants of the same lettuce.
If you are a chef and you ever you get a chance to visit this company you must. So often we take for granted simply pulling leaves from a box. When you seen where these leaves have come from and how well they are looked after, you can better understand how to look after it and treat it correctly.
So we did a few recipes with these awesome products. James McGann joined me back in the kitchen and we whipped up some doozies!
For episode 8, we visited Tripod Farmers in Bacchus marsh - one of Australia's largest salad producers. I have driving past their operation for a few years but never once realised how big the operation actually was. We were fortunate, through tripods general manager, Jay Beshara, to get an interview with one of the founding farmers Frank Ruffo, who with his brother, started the company some 30 odd years ago.
From a hands on operation with a couple of tractors and washing their salads by hand, Tripod farmers have grown to being a multi-national company, not only supplying the complete eastern seaboard of Australia but also exporting all around the world. They grown their 20 something varieties of leaves on approximately 350 acres in Bacchus Marsh and a further 400 acres in Gippsland Victoria. It is staggering just how much salad these guys produce.
When we think of salad in a bag, we assume that it is simply wash and bagged and that is it entire process. This could not be farther from the truth. Jay Beshara, during our first meeting, offered to take me for a tour of their facilities. Talk about having a chefs moment! From this simple 30 minute tour, the sudden realisation of actually how well that product was treated and the quickness that it was packaged was mind blowing. Within their factory, which from the road simple resembles some big white sheds, lies a magnificent designed, state of the art packaging facility employing hundreds of employees. Everyone of them had a smile on their face. I was so impressed!
Within 10 minutes of the leaves being picked they are washed for the first time, with all grey water filtered back through a 3 stage filtration tank where both the water and the silt are reused. They then enter the second washing stage, which removes additional dirt or foreign bodies that may have missed the first stage. The leaves then shoot off to the controlled room - a completely controlled environment with strict OH&S practices and food safety standards the likes I have never seen before. Not a stone is left unturned in this process. Within this room it is washed for the 3rd time before it is packed and shoots out the other side to be boxed, refrigerated and delivered. I actually got to see the same rocket that had been washed when we entered, shooting out the other side ready for distribution some 20 minutes later as we reached that side of the facility. My goodness it was impressive. Not only do they employ their pickers, washers and packers, but also a complete team of food scientists who's focus is on creating different variants and monitoring, via international food standards, every single process of the production. The entire business is monitored and they can literally follow the salad from seed, right through to where it has been delivered. Their tractors in the fields are even satellite tracked to minimise the impact of them during the salad growing period. A massive thanks to Jay Beshara for giving me the opportunity to check out this amazing facility.
So at the agreed time, we met Frank Ruffo at one of his amazing fields. Frank was such a passionate bloke. He really new everything there was to know about his product. A truly inspirational man. He explained the plants journey to the dinner plate and even showed us the subtle difference between variants of the same lettuce.
If you are a chef and you ever you get a chance to visit this company you must. So often we take for granted simply pulling leaves from a box. When you seen where these leaves have come from and how well they are looked after, you can better understand how to look after it and treat it correctly.
So we did a few recipes with these awesome products. James McGann joined me back in the kitchen and we whipped up some doozies!
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