Willunga Farmers Market Producer Profile: Harvest the Fleurieu

Above: Strawberries, picked fresh and available at the Willunga Farmers Market. Photo by Josie Withers.

Harvest the Fleurieu

Twenty years ago, a young Megan Sherry could be found every Saturday morning setting up the marquee at her family’s strawberry stall in the gravel carpark of the Alma Hotel. The Willunga Farmers Market was in its first year and Harvest the Fleurieu are now one of a handful of original stallholders who are still a part of the award-winning market today.

Megan’s younger brother Ryan has been involved in the Willunga Farmers Market stall from an early age too. ‘The Adelaide Farmers Markets started in Wayville in 2006 and once Megan started helping with the setup there, it was my turn to be getting up really early to help out at the stall in Willunga, handing out the two kilogram boxes of strawberries which are still popular with our customers today. Our parents grew the strawberries, we started selling them from a young age and now we are keeping the business going.’

Megan, Ryan and older brother Adam have grown up in the strawberry business. Childhood memories include building forts out of packing boxes on the family’s property in Kuitpo, while parents Brenton and Vanessa Sherry worked hard growing their wholesale strawberry business, then known as Kuitpo Forest Strawberries. ‘Seeing what our parents had to do every day has instilled a strong work ethic and has guided how we now work together,’ reflects Ryan.

All three of the next generation of the Sherry family now run the family business, with Adam and his partner Sonya managing the Kuitpo property and Megan, Ryan and his partner Allis running the Mt Compass farm, including their pick-your-own strawberry patch.

‘We enjoy selling our produce at farmers markets and love it when the market customers visit us in Mt Compass. They meet the farmers that are growing their food and get a bit dirty as they pick their own strawberries, realising that they aren’t all perfect as they hunt for a big, juicy strawberry,’ explains Megan.

‘We pick on a Friday so that our strawberries are as fresh as can be for a Saturday market, but nothing tastes as good as when you pick a warm strawberry from the patch first thing in the morning,’ declares Ryan.

In 2017 Harvest the Fleurieu’s sales in Mt Compass grew from a red produce van to a market hall that has quickly become a hub for local produce. ‘The Willunga Farmers Market has not only had a huge impact on keeping our family business afloat commercially over the years, but it has also shaped our market hall having learnt the impact you can have on a community by supporting other local growers,’ Megan shares.

As leaders of berry farming practices and innovations, there are some big plans ahead for this family business. Tayberries, that are only grown in Scotland and Mt Compass, have just had their first pick-your-own season and with their dedicated gluten-free kitchen, Megan’s goal to become the gluten-free mecca of South Australia is well underway. With tours for school groups increasing and work on an accessible pick-your-own strawberry patch already started, very soon everyone will be able to experience the pleasure of tasting a freshly picked strawberry.

Saturdays 8am – 12.00pm Willunga High School Support your local farmers and producers

Fresh local produce including fruit, veg, meat, olive oil, cheese, wine and all your weekly essentials can be found every Saturday morning in Willunga. We look forward to welcoming you. *New location: Willunga High – 1km south of Town Square.