Family Fresh Farms operates five-hectare Venlo-style glasshouses equipped for continuous, 365-day cucumber production. "We grow mini Qukes® snack cucumbers, producing them every day of the year," Nicky Mann, WHS and Labour Manager explains.
This intensive schedule is necessary due to the nature of their mini cucumbers, which must be harvested promptly to remain within retail size specifications for snacking.
To achieve this consistency, the farm employs a high-wire growing system with rockwool media and fully integrated climate control. "We use all the bells and whistles—ventilation, screens, heating, a biomass boiler, and CO₂ injection," says Nicky, allowing Family Fresh Farms to maintain high productivity levels. The company also handles pre-packing on-site, supplying major Australian supermarkets such as Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, and Costco, as well as independent retailers.
Specific crop selection and intensive labor
Family Fresh Farms has opted to grow mini cucumbers over more common Lebanese varieties, a choice that presents unique challenges. "Mini snacks are much more intensive to grow," Nicky notes. "Lebanese cucumbers take longer to reach harvest, and you can skip daily harvesting if needed. With mini snacks, you can't do that."
To ensure rapid production, the farm relies on "advanced plants" sourced from nurseries in New South Wales and Queensland, with cucumbers ready for harvest just two weeks after planting. Frequent crop changes—every three months—mean that each glasshouse undergoes four rotations annually. This rapid turnover allows the farm to maximize output, but it also requires rigorous labor management to maintain quality and efficiency.
Nicky's role at Family Fresh Farms includes recruiting laborers, training them, and ensuring compliance with labor laws and safety standards. "We're really fortunate with our workforce. We directly recruit through the PALM scheme, which is the Pacific Australia Labour Movement Scheme. This means we bring in workers from Vanuatu, and we currently have around 85 on-farm during the summer," Nicky explains. "Some stay for nine months, while others, like our key personnel—quality officers, machine operators, and forklift drivers—are on four-year visas. We're really focused on making sure they're well taken care of, with on-site accommodation and good meals."
"Our workers are incredibly skilled and efficient," she adds. "Many are in their second, third, or even sixth season with us, and we put a lot into their training. Right now, we're bringing in some fresh recruits, and we're confident they'll be fully up to speed within a few weeks thanks to our structured training program and experienced team leaders. Investing in our people has definitely paid off."
Asset maintenance and reinvestment
Family Fresh Farms places a strong emphasis on maintaining and upgrading their facilities to ensure peak productivity. Nicky and her team, including her husband, Senior Grower Wade, and General Manager Patrick De Craen, are dedicated to keeping all systems in optimal condition. "One of our focuses is making sure we look after the assets," she explains. This approach includes regular upgrades to key infrastructure especially their two greenhouses which are currently under renovation.
They replaced its aging weedmat to improve reflective light and reduce wear. They also invested in new irrigation piping to combat biofilm buildup—a particular concern as the facility operates a closed irrigation system that recycles water, an essential practice in water-scarce Australia. "We're determined to reinvest some of our profits into maintaining and upgrading the facility," Nicky says, noting that these measures keep production numbers high and ensure consistent quality.
The team at Family Fresh Farms prides itself on rapid repairs to avoid a "graveyard of broken equipment," creating a culture that Nicky compares to a Premier League team. "We say we're in the Premier League, and a good team needs a good stadium to perform in. If something breaks, we fix it straight away."
Strategies within a competitive market
Family Fresh Farms markets its cucumbers through Perfection Fresh Australia, a big distributor that supplies premium supermarkets nationwide. This strengthens the farm's market position by aligning it with a stronger player that offers multiple fresh produce lines, including tomatoes, berries, bananas, and mangoes. "We've aligned ourselves strategically with a powerful partner," Nicky remarks, mentioning the advantages of being part of a well-connected distribution network.
"Summertime brings on medium-tech, low-tech, and field growers, which puts pressure on the market," Nicky adds when explaining the competitiveness of the Australian produce market, especially during summer when weather conditions are optimal. However, Family Fresh Farms remains firm on pricing. "We know our cost of production and aim for positive returns at all times. This is not always easy, however, our commitment to consistency in quality and continuity of supply has helped us build strong relationships with our wholesaler and the supermarkets who respect our commitment to growing the finest Qukes®."
Working with market dynamics, challenges, and opportunities
Nicky remains cautiously optimistic about the market dynamics as Family Fresh Farms moves into the peak summer season. Recent increases in cucumber production by other growers and ongoing challenges in the tomato industry have influenced cucumber supply. "Anything in the cucumber line impacts the market," she says, though Family Fresh Farms aims to manage production to avoid oversupply issues. While they closely monitor developments, Nicky emphasizes a steady approach: "We tweak but don't make drastic changes."
Concerns like the Tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) are creating uncertainty for tomato growers, so she noted the importance of resilience in agriculture. "Bigger players in the market already have risk management strategies in place," she says, adding that Family Fresh Farms focuses on "head-down, hands-on" management to stay responsive to market needs. "As cucumber growers, we've had our share of challenges with the Cucumber Green Mottled Mosaic Virus (CGMMV)," Nicky mentions. "That experience taught us a lot about managing and even coexisting with a virus in the long term. I think tomato growers, who are facing new viral pressures, may soon find ways to adapt, just as we did. It's tough, but there's a path forward once you learn to work within those constraints."
For more information:
Family Fresh Farms
Nicky Mann, WHS and Labour Manager
[email protected]
familyfreshfarms.com.au