One of the NSW North Coast’s most successful agri-tourism enterprises is on the market seeking new owners.
Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries, a 41ha (101 acres) farm on the Pacific Highway edge of Port Macquarie, is being offered for sale via Expressions of Interest through Terry Brennan of Ray White Rural Sydney.
Developed over the past decade, the farm’s operations comprise a thriving hydroponic tomato-growing business over 7800 sqm in three large modern greenhouses, 4100 sqm of strawberries in four greenhouses, a cafe, a produce and gift and souvenirs store, and a lucrative jams and preserves business with the products sold both through the farm shop and local store sales and via online mail order merchandising.
Ricardoes is both a highly popular and respected household name in the greater Port Macquarie district and the region’s leading tourist attraction. The enterprise was established by agriculturalist Anthony Sarks (pictured) and his brother Richard Sarks and is now for sale due to family members’ moves interstate and younger generations to professional life in Sydney.
The Sarks brothers have brought the property to a level of excellence and seasonal sustainability through progressive growth strategies and diversification. It currently offers further opportunities for expansion and profit to be pursued and capitalised on by new operators.
The farm has achieved state and national award-winning status in three distinct areas of operation: for the quality of its tomatoes, for its standing and reputation as a leading tourism attraction, and for its own-brand value-added products.
Ricardoes’ tomato varieties have consistently won first prize in the Sydney Royal Easter Show District Exhibits Competition over the past seven years. Its farm gate visitor activities have seen it voted the region’s’ best tourist attraction for four years running and subsequently become the only attraction to be installed for consistent excellence in the associated Hall of Fame.
Its range of some 30 own-brand jams, relishes, chutneys, salsas, soups and sauces - made from the farm’s produce in a local commercial kitchen - are regularly awarded medals in national fine food shows including in Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Mudgee.
A major drawcard to the farm and its air-conditioned 70-seat cafe, Cafe Red, is its free, pick-your-own strawberries experience, which has featured on TV travel shows such as Getaway.
The experience is popular with seniors’ groups and coach tours due to the berries being accessible at shoulder height, so no bending is involved.
Equally, families enjoy the experience where children as young as toddlers can also reach out to pick lower-growing fruit. The strawberries are grown under cover of the greenhouses, making the activity attractive to tourists in cold, wet or windy weather when beaches or other outdoor district attractions are impractical.
Ricardoes attracts some 200,000 visitors annually, many from the passing highway traffic of 14,000 vehicles a day. A large number of coach tour groups have the farm on their regular itineraries and the large fully-sealed car park makes it an ideal driver-reviver stopover point for RV travellers. Highway upgrades currently under way will make property access even more inviting.
“The underlying principle of what we do is to bring customers to the farm, not send the farm to the customer,” Anthony Sarks says.
“Everybody wins under this business model: our customers win because they get a fresher riper product and the farmer wins because we have eliminated downstream costs.”
The farm’s popular tomato varieties are sold both in the farm store and despatched to city farmers’ markets and they are also a highly sought-after commodity among the regional population.
The holding on offer includes a magnificent recently built architect-designed five bedroom homestead of sandstone block construction featuring a superb Degabriele kitchen and multiple expansive open plan living and entertaining spaces with wood fireplaces. Additionally, a modern four bedroom cottage is located on the property.
The arable lightly timbered land lends itself to limitless further possibilities including cropping. Terry Brennan says the holding offers an attractive opportunity to further grow the business by increasing the greenhouse capacity for both tomatoes and strawberries. “It is also possible to introduce a range of other tourist enterprises complementary to the existing activities,” he said.
Expressions of interest close on Friday, June 19, 2015.
