Franklin Gardens Hydroponics in action! Most of Sahara’s vegetables are grown to order just two minutes up the road at Franklin Gardens by Nik’s second cousin Jas Futter and her husband Noel. Jas says it’s an ideal relationship for both businesses: “Fiona is up here every morning picking the vegies she wants for tonight’s dinner. You can’t get fresher than that!” Although she and Noel have other jobs: he works for Richmonds in Dargaville and she is a Northland Health and Safety advisor, the Gardens “just keep growing”. In their polyhouse 2,280 cucumber seedlings sit waiting to be planted out, while in an ancient but serviceable glasshouse aubergines and tomatoes are thriving. Outside, potatoes, salad vegetables and herbs jostle for space, and Jas talks of plans to add more tomatoes; plus raspberries, gooseberries and currants. The hen run is also due to be extended to keep up with the local demand for “restricted free-range” eggs. Nik and Fiona's commitment also extends to educating local children into the benefits of freshly picked and prepared vegetables. Last year the couple planted an Heirloom Vegetable Garden with children from the Paparoa School, using heritage seeds from Koanga Gardens.“At harvest time the children picked the vegetables, prepped them in the restaurant kitchen, and produced a wonderful feast,” says Nik.

Kaipara Meats and Deli Graham and Sally with a ham for a lucky winner! Pride of place on Sahara’s Taste of Kaipara menu this summer will be Barbecue Pork Belly with Sweet Corn, Tomato Salsa and Chilli Butter. The vegetables their heritage garden cannot supply will come from Franklin Gardens, and the pork belly? From Paparoa’s specialty butcher, of course. Kaipara Meats and Deli is the butcher shop owned by Graham and Sally Taylor, whose piggery, Ariel Farms, a kilometre or two east of Paparoa, supplies both the butcher and the couple’s other business located in Ruawai: the Long Flat Bacon company. Alongside Ariel Farm’s pork and pork products, and the famous Paparoa Sausage (made to a secret recipe, of course), the butcher shop offers a range of specialty meats. Graham explains why these are proving so popular in a rural area where one would expect plain cuts to be the order of the day: “People who are used to home-killed meat want something different, something they don’t have at home in the freezer.” Country people are also increasingly busy, hence the growing demand for boned, marinated and crumbed cuts. “And country people want quality meat.”

GAS Paparoa
Near Sahara is GAS Paparoa. Not only will Dallas and Bo fill your car with petrol and check your oil, but they are also an outlet for Kauri Coast Oysters, the oyster farm of Gary and Lucille Elmbranch, just 10 minutes away at Pahi. Add a loaf of bread and you have the ingredients for a gourmet picnic on the Village Green.

Pioneer Plants and the Paparoa Store Robbie and Rachel Many of the vegetable seedlings grown by the Futters are propagated by Rowie Panhuis in her Paparoa nursery, Pioneer Plants. Rowie also works part time at another destination for the Futters’ vegetables and eggs: the Paparoa Store, just across the road from Sahara. From behind the counter, owner Robbie Hinsch ruefully surveys a space almost bursting at the seams, the aisles just barely wide enough for one shopping trolley at a time. Despite an earlier extension when he and wife Rachel bought the business two years ago, there are plans in the pipeline to again build out the shop in order to further develop their growing produce, deli and organic ranges. Robbie’s background as a grocery manager and Rachel’s commitment to healthy food choices are reflected in their decision to run what was once a Four Square as an independent with a focus on fresh produce, sourced locally wherever possible, and a range of fresh and dry organic goods. It appears that this focus is what local people want, as business is booming. “We have been very blessed with the support of the community and a growing amount of shoppers who are coming from further afield,” Rachel says. There is a reciprocal supportive relationship with Sahara and other Village businesses, evidenced by Fiona popping in for a last minute item for tonight’s menu, and Robbie’s commitment to not stocking lines that may take business from other retailers down the street, for example, pies, sweets and meat packs.

In Paparoa, it seems, the food never leaves town. The little Village in the Valley is a model of the collaborative nature of small communities translated into their business activities. The interwoven relationships between food producers and providers not only support the local economy but also enhance and celebrate the uniqueness of the local environment and culture.