1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,639 Speaker 1: Farmers' markets. I've got some new data around them this morning. 2 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: They now support more than a thousand food producers in 3 00:00:05,040 --> 00:00:08,160 Speaker 1: this country, attracting fifty thousand shoppers every week. Tony Kato 4 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: is one example of that. He runs Parongia Mountain Vegetables 5 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:12,399 Speaker 1: and he's well, there's Tony morning. 6 00:00:13,320 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 2: Good morning, Mike caw are you today very well? 7 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,079 Speaker 1: Indeed, I can tell by your voice immediately you're not 8 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: the Tony Kato I used to work with many years 9 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:20,200 Speaker 1: ago at radio in New Zealand. 10 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 2: No, no, no, there will be someone else. No no, 11 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 2: I'm just a market gardener here in Prongia. 12 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: What do you grow? 13 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 2: We grow predominantly root vegetables, potatoes, broccoli and bressacas or 14 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 2: we also grow twenty ton of cabbage for the sauerkraut industry, 15 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,000 Speaker 2: your napper cabbages for your kimchi kimchie sprinkles with the 16 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: guys who run who grow those things, arm On. 17 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: Kim Are you you're the source of the kim cheese sprinkles? 18 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 2: Oh? I certainly, yeah, mate. We grow a fair number 19 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 2: of those who've just been put on the ground now 20 00:00:55,960 --> 00:00:58,600 Speaker 2: ready for our autumn and winter harvests. 21 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:00,680 Speaker 1: Do you eat the Kim cheese croyer. 22 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:03,000 Speaker 2: To do that. Yes, we do. Yep. We put them 23 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 2: on just about everything there a bit of a top up. 24 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: They're the greatest thing in the world, apart from the 25 00:01:08,440 --> 00:01:10,959 Speaker 1: industry itself. Do you take all your stuff to market? 26 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:16,840 Speaker 2: Yes, of our produce goes to three farmers' markets by 27 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,480 Speaker 2: a plenty, and the two whitekado ones every Saturday and Sunday. 28 00:01:20,640 --> 00:01:23,639 Speaker 1: What's your sense of the farmer's market industry? Is it going? 29 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,040 Speaker 1: Is it growing? Booming? And you know it's become a thing? 30 00:01:28,120 --> 00:01:31,760 Speaker 2: Oh, most definitely, Yes, yep. Every market we go, do 31 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 2: we see an increase of different different types. It's been 32 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:39,280 Speaker 2: nothing but grown. We've been in the markets for fifteen 33 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 2: nearly twenty years now, and just especially after the COVID area, 34 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 2: we've just seen an increase in customers wanting to know 35 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 2: where that food comes from, and do they get to 36 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:55,360 Speaker 2: speak directly to the grower so they know exactly where 37 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 2: it's from? Its irritation. 38 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 1: The story is the thing, and people like to know 39 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: the story, where it came from, who you are, what 40 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 1: you grew, where the where the farmers and that that 41 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:07,640 Speaker 1: that means something to people, doesn't it? 42 00:02:08,560 --> 00:02:11,520 Speaker 2: Yes, it certainly does. Yes, there's nothing like quite like 43 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 2: selling something straight to the to the consumer. And that's 44 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:18,720 Speaker 2: super interested in that and where it comes from, especially 45 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 2: and a lot of us. It's fresher, its tastes better. 46 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 2: It's generally picked the day before you we get to 47 00:02:25,639 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 2: the markets, so you're not going to get it much 48 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 2: better than that. 49 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,200 Speaker 1: Couldn't agree more. Well, I'm glad it's going so well 50 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: for you, Tony. Nice to talk to you. Appreciate it 51 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: very much, and God bless you on the kim Chi sprinkles, 52 00:02:34,880 --> 00:02:38,239 Speaker 1: Tony Kata Perongia Mountain. It's just these farmers' markets and 53 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:40,600 Speaker 1: and not that I don't like supermarket. Supermarkets have got 54 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:42,519 Speaker 1: their place, and I'm a supporter of competition in the 55 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: supermarkets and all that sort of stuff. But why you would 56 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:47,720 Speaker 1: buy vegetables from a supermarket, I've got no idea. Why 57 00:02:47,760 --> 00:02:49,720 Speaker 1: you would buy your meat from a supermarket. I've got 58 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: no idea. There are specialists out there who will do 59 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: things that you just can't if you've if you just 60 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: live at a supermarket, that's all you know. There are 61 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: people out there who will do things to meet and 62 00:02:59,120 --> 00:03:02,520 Speaker 1: products and vegeta bulls and fruit generally when you get 63 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: hold of it, you just will not believe how magical 64 00:03:05,200 --> 00:03:07,240 Speaker 1: things can be. Speaking of which, by the way, do 65 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,120 Speaker 1: you realize Country Calendar is sixty years old today? It 66 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: is this very day, sixty years ago that Country Calendar 67 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: started and what a thing. It's the greatest New Zealand 68 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: television program ever produced, apart from seven sharp the years 69 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,200 Speaker 1: twenty fourteen through seventeen when I was on it. For 70 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 1: more from the Mike Asking Breakfast, listen live to news 71 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: talks it'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the 72 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,000 Speaker 1: podcast on iHeartRadio.