Veronica Trethewey’s excitement about Australian Black Limes is palpable, and there is a genuine feeling that she and husband Grant are on the brink of something amazing. A combination of decades of trial and error trying to make their Wanerie farm financially sustainable, being open to new ideas, and a serendipitous comment from a neighbour, have made Australian Black Limes a seemingly overnight success — 20 years in the making.
Black limes are regular green limes that are briefly brined, then slowly dried whole under a particular set of conditions. The process turns the fruit black inside and out and intensifies the flavour, with around 5 kilograms of fresh lime needed for every 1 kg of black lime. Black limes are common in Middle Eastern cooking, usually thrown in whole to a stew or tagine, adding depth and complexity to the dish.
“I was in the mindset of looking for something different, because selling fresh fruit to the markets is very depressing, and I was so tired of it,” explains Veronica. “You send your good fruit; it sits on the floor for goodness knows how long and they sell it for very little. And then you go to the shops and you see them at huge prices!”
“We want to make the farm sustainable. That was our dream when we moved here, to be productive, have a sustainable farm, be able to leave it to our children.”
Prior to the limes, which have been in place for around seven years, Veronica and Grant experimented with growing mangoes — “We very quickly worked out that a thousand mango trees are not going to make us a living,” says Veronica — and more successfully, with table grapes. “We planted a vineyard, had that for ten years, and we did quite well. Unfortunately, one day our vines got a virus and they all died on us.”
Market issues aside, Veronica says, “Limes are easy to care for — there’s the pruning and fertilizing and all of that, but compared to grapes, it’s dead easy!”
Despite not having met face-to-face, Veronica’s neighbour Rona was soon to have a big influence on her future direction. “Rona knew we were growing limes and sent me a message, ‘Do you know about black limes?’
“I didn’t, but after researching, I thought, ‘I wonder if we can do this? Is it possible?’”
Another fortuitous piece of the puzzle came in the form of Kamese, a new client of Veronica’s bookkeeping business who hails from Iran, where black limes are a kitchen staple.
“I started talking to Kamese about black limes and he was so excited! They are hard to get in Australia — imported and usually out of stock.
“Kamese helped me find out exactly where the black lime needed to be, because I knew nothing about it. Right when I thought I was there, he would say, ‘No it needs longer.’
“He eventually took me to a Persian shop to show me the black limes they bring in, and it was slightly different to what I was doing. You could crush it with your hand, it was soft and brittle, and the smell of was smoky, and — to me —felt stale.
“Kamese was really excited when I eventually got the product to a point where I felt it should be. I said to him, ‘This is not what you’re used to, but take it home, try it, and give me your honest report.’ And he rang me up thrilled to say they were the best black limes he’d ever tasted.
“In Kamese’s words, ‘It’s almost like you have just plucked it off the tree. It’s so fresh.’
After this swift research and development period — around 8 months — Veronica got an early insight into the prospective demand for black limes after having to ‘go live’ with the website before she was ready. Veronica explains, “I spent a month making up a website only to be told I’d bought an American site and wouldn’t be able to transfer it. So, before I went any further, I thought I had better try and transfer it now — and fortunately there was no problem.”
Three weeks later — without any search engine optimisation techniques or promotions in place —Veronica received a phone call from a spice company in Melbourne wanting ten kilograms of black limes for their client.
“While they were deliberating over the order, the next minute I got an order for 45 kilograms!” she said.
Black limes are sold both whole and milled into a powder — Veronica’s Thermomix playing the role of milling machine until their custom-made machine arrived in November. Australian Black Limes also have a range of value-added products, including black lime salt, chilli, and a black lime relish. Their products have been well received by both the existing Middle Eastern ex-pat market, and foodies keen to incorporate this zesty new product into their dishes.
“Our goal was to launch the business at Flavours of Gingin in November,” said Veronica. “However, I had a few sneaky pre-launches: one at Come and Meet the Buyer, and at Farmer on your Plate in Fremantle. Between them we sold out of everything. This is a whole new industry for Australians, a brand-new product, and they’re excited!”
Veronica and Grant moved swiftly to improve infrastructure to help them meet growing demand, including a shed extension, installation of a commercial kitchen and design of custom equipment; the milling machine and dehydrator. The farm is run completely off-grid and Veronica’s long-term vision is to conduct farm tours where visitors can enjoy a coffee and a black-lime infused treat from the onsite café.
“We needed to get serious pretty quickly,” said Veronica. “I feel that this is this is just taking off like crazy and if we don’t do it, we’re going to lose it.”
You can purchase Australian Black Lime products direct from their website at www.australianblacklimes.com.au or in store locally at Northern Valleys Locavore Store, Australian Premium Feeds, Gingin Community Resource Centre, and CU@Park Cafe.
You can follow their progress on social media @AustralianBlackLimes (keep an eye out for a black lime gelato currently in development!). If it is anything like the first year it will be quite the ride —what Veronica calls a ‘serendipitous spark of curiosity’ has cracked the code for her and Grant to be able to make the family farm sustainable, brought a fantastic new product to the Australian culinary scene, and made the Northern Valleys home to the only Australian producer of black limes.
Veronica says, “I can’t tell you how good it feels.”
