Who: Common Ground Project
Where: Freshwater Creek, Surf Coast Shire, Wadawurrung Country
Here’s Amy Tacey, Food Hub coordinator for Common Ground Project, with the lowdown.
Hey Amy, so you guys are a not-for-profit that grows food?
Yes, Common Ground Project is a registered charity and social enterprise. Here, food production, education, community health, and food distribution are combined on a beautiful farm with a warm and welcoming café.
What do you grow?
At the heart of the project is a half-hectare market garden under the guardianship of head farmer Fraser Telfer. Fraser is a big supporter of heritage-breed vegetables for not only their depth of flavour and excellent texture, but also the genetic diversity they offer and their ability to thrive under a range of conditions. In summer and autumn, Common Ground Project produces full-flavoured heirloom tomatoes and eggplants along with cucumbers and other warm-season vegetables. Come winter, the garden produces an abundance of brassicas and root vegetables, from carrots to Tokyo turnips. Throughout the year, leafy greens include the colourful and peppery mizuna and other delicious green leaves.
What is regenerative growing?
All these veg are grown using regenerative farming practices. This includes compost made from kitchen scraps produced by the café mixed with other organic material. Green manure crops such as rye and broad beans are sown, grown, then slashed and allowed to decompose into the soil to feed myriad beneficial bugs and bacteria that help create soil fertility. These skills are passed on to the interns and volunteers who take part in programs on the farm.
You have a unique distribution model.
Food grown on the farm is sold on site through the Food Hub, where it is complemented with produce from farms in the surrounding 100 kilometres. Common Ground Project also works with local communities selling our super-fresh veg at community markets and farmers’ markets. We also have a café. And Fraser and his team grow commercial quantities aimed at the restaurant industry and distributed through wholesale distributor Natoora.
Who’s a fan?
We are associated with the Mulberry Group so Hazel Restaurant, Dessous wine bar, Lilac Wine, Molli, Little Molli and Liminal all serve our produce.
How do we contact you?
Visit us at Common Ground Project, 675 Anglesea Road, Freshwater Creek, or visit our website at commongroundproject.com.au.