Tuerong Farm is a 60ha peri-urban farm that has re-established milling-grade grain production and processing on the Mornington Peninsula. Jason Cotter and Emma Hicks grow and stone-mill heritage, ancient and modern grains for direct sale and distribution to the restaurants, bakeries and home bakers around Melbourne.

“Grains we grow and mill on-farm include red wheat, white wheat, purple wheat, maize and the ancient grains spelt, emmer and khorasan (kamut),” Jason says.

“We are likely the closest grain grower to Melbourne and one of the few grain growers that focuses on cultivars and practices that prioritise flavour, nutrition and sustainability as key drivers, rather than yield and efficiency/convenience in industrial scale harvesting, milling and baking.”

Tuerong Farm is a key participant in the revival of local grains — a movement in its infancy in Australia but one that’s already well established in the northern hemisphere where the regional supply of grain and flour of known provenance, farming technique and variety is becoming increasingly widespread.

Jason and Emma are also in the process of expanding on 200+ varieties of heritage grain accessed from global gene banks that Jason says will eventually be the bulk of the grain grown.

“The restaurant and artisan bakery markets are keen to access genetic and protein profiles that offer enhanced flavour, nutrition, ease of digestion and are better suited to low input farming practices to achieve high quality protein and bakery performance,” he says.

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“Often these varieties do not suit modern farming, milling and baking efficiencies and processes. They do, however, exhibit highly desirable qualities for consumers — they contribute to the reclamation of grain as a healthy, flavoursome foodstuff rather than as a simple export commodity.”

Jason says their mission at Tuerong Farm is to grow healthy grain and produce fresh, stone-milled flour from wheat varieties they love.

“We are focusing on soil health, plant health, flavour and ecological sustainability in our agricultural practices. We are rediscovering the lost art of stone milling, and celebrating the unique flavour profiles and superior baking properties of grains that have not been available to the professional or home baker before.”

Tuerong Farm Premium Stoneground Flour was awarded Best New Product in the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards 2019.