From world-class smoked paprika that rivals the finest in Spain to farm-milled golden polenta, Richard and Belinda Weston are redefining the Australian pantry.
Weston Farm is the kind of place treechangers dream of. On a small farm just north of Hobart, Richard and Belinda Weston harness Tasmania’s pristine, cool-climate environment to produce an impressive range of offerings, from gorgeous peonies and vegetables to preserves, pure honey and olive oil.
The Westons are no strangers to the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards – as co-founders of Australia’s first white asparagus farm, they won Unearthed Producer in 2023. But this year, it was the Westons’ smoked and hot paprika and farm-milled polenta that got our National Judges’ attention, with the paprika leading National Judge Alex Prichard to exclaim, “I need this on the menu now!”
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Alla Wolf-Tasker AM, chef and owner of the iconic Lake House in Daylesford and a National Judge since the Produce Awards’ inception, was equally as impressed.
“This year, just one sniff of Richard and Belinda’s smoky paprika had me wandering the villages of the Cáceres province of Spain, where the highly coveted ‘Pimentón de la Vera’ (DOP) spice is slowly roasted over oak wood, giving it its unmistakable aroma,” she says. “What a knockout! World class. Bravo! Twenty-one years of judging at the national level and there are always surprises in store.”
For bringing such exceptional new products to the Australian table, it was unanimously agreed that the Westons were the undeniable choice for the inaugural Groundbreaker Award.
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You’ve likely never smelled paprika this richly fragrant before – deeply earthy, complex and vibrant, its intense aroma matching the bold crimson hue. Meanwhile, the polenta was served to our judges simply, cooked with only water and salt, and yet still they were blown away.
The Westons’ secret is their adherence to traditional production methods – and it is this that makes them true industry groundbreakers. Rather than just growing the raw ingredients, they have pioneered artisanal on-farm processing: drying and milling their own specially developed corn for polenta, and cultivating, drying, milling and smoking their own capsicums for paprika. This dedication to small-batch production, hands-on farming and an unwavering commitment to quality over quantity is what sets them apart.
At every step of the production process, the Westons ensure their operation stays deeply sustainable: maintaining healthy soil, minimising waste and working strictly with the seasons and nature. They have even proven the commercial viability of this closed-loop philosophy by making the leap into farm-to-fork dining, successfully operating Hobart’s ever-popular Pigeon Hole Cafe for more than a decade.
It’s the perfect proof that a fiercely independent, small-scale business can still make a groundbreaking impact on the national culinary stage.
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