Siblings, Erin and Josh Cranwell know a thing or two about Brussels sprouts. Five generations of their family have produced them, but returning to the farm after high school to take up a career in the business has surprised everyone, not least themselves. The brother and sister from Hay Valley and Lake Plains in South Australia now live and breathe this superfood, well aware of the bad reputation the humble sprout has attracted. They are passionate about educating consumers about this wonder crop.
Erin Cranwell from AE Cranwell and Sons says working on the farm during the school holidays as a child didn’t really prepare her for running a commercial business. “Once I got on the ground, I realised what was involved in the business. It was nothing like I thought it would be,” she shares.
“Once I understood, there was no way that I was leaving!”
Something Erin also didn’t take for granted was how easy it would be to work with her brother. The siblings share the same vision for the farm. Erin and Josh are based at different farms and work very different roles. Josh is growing and Erin keeps busy in the sales side. “I need to ensure that I can trust my brother and what he’s saying about the crops in the ground to make sure we have an effortless supply,” she explains.
Having the two properties in different locations has allowed the family to extend their growing season to 9 months of the year in South Australia. It was an important strategic decision that has set their company apart. But supply aside, quality is always number one. “People are buying fresh produce based on how it looks. Making sure we’re growing the best crop we can, as clean as we can, so it presents well on the shelf. That’s our focus.”
Erin is all too aware that this crop does have a bad reputation, but she’s noticed demand slowly increasing over the last decade. The family puts that down to better cooking techniques than the dreaded over-boiled sprout!
“Our generation is discovering them. They’re going – we can air fry them, roast them, add some bacon, sauté them. We can do so much more.”
The brussels sprout farming sector is smaller than you’d expect with only a handful of major growers in Australia. Perhaps part of the reason for that, is the crop can be difficult to produce being pest and fungi prone. Sprouts are in the ground 6 to 9 months, giving ample opportunity for issues to arise in the field. Erin says the team must keep on top of issues and find solutions constantly. “We do a weekly crop walk through all of our sprouts as a team just to make sure we’re on the same page with what’s going on.”
“The farmer’s shadow is the most important thing. You can’t just walk away.”
The business is acutely aware of finding more sustainable packaging solutions and that’s a major area of current innovation. Another is reducing labour, and now, all the family’s sprouts are being machine harvested. “That’s been challenging because over the years, we had to learn to grow a crop for a 100 per cent machine harvest. It’s very rewarding because it’s been a very long time coming.”
Erin’s friends still laugh when she tells people she’s a farmer. Even though most days she’s working in production, compliance, human resources or accounts. She’s never actually picked a Brussels Sprout. It goes to show farmers certainly wear many hats, and Erin’s is a perfect fit.
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