Article in the Sunshine Valley Gazette

We are so grateful to the Sunshine Valley Gazette for covering both our new partnership with Farleigh Farms and also the opening of our nursery in a new location.

Below are excerpts from the article - the full article can be read online with the Sunshine Valley Gazette:

A new farming partnership in Forest Glen is set to open the farm gate to the public, offering Sunshine Coast residents a hands-on look at regenerative agriculture and a chance to reconnect with how food is grown.

SilvoHarvest by Farleigh Farms and Fruit Tree Cottage have joined forces in a collaboration that places silvopasture – where fruit trees, pasture and livestock function as one system – at the centre of a new kind of farming experience.

Visitors will be invited into a working silvopasture system, with opportunities to harvest fruit directly from mature trees through a pick-your-own experience. 

They will then be able to purchase the same varieties of fruit trees to grow at home, a model designed to turn consumers into participants in regenerative food production.

The partnership also has a strong educational focus. On-farm talks and demonstrations will give visitors insight into soil health, tree management and the realities of primary production, allowing people to see silvopasture “in action rather than as a theory”.

For Heidi, founder of Fruit Tree Cottage, the project represents the next chapter in a family story deeply tied to Sunshine Coast agriculture.

“We have been working tirelessly to build the next chapter of Fruit Tree Cottage and to grow something that will benefit the wider community, recognise the Coast’s agricultural history and further our thriving family nursery business,” she said.

“This new venture carries forward our family’s legacy of being involved in agriculture on the Sunshine Coast for more than three generations,” Heidi said. 

“Our vision is to provide an educational space for children and families to learn about growing food and about the rich history of agriculture on the Sunshine Coast.”

Missy Duckworth, manager of Farleigh Farms, & Fruit Tree Cottage founder Heidi aim to show people how food production can work in harmony with nature.