Get to know The Farmhouse

The Farmhouse is a rural coffee, bakery and ice cream shop; coupled with boutique accommodation located on our 140-acre farm, 5 minutes from Clevedon Village and 35 minutes south of Auckland City. 

We were lucky enough to have a chat with Founder and Director Anna from Farmhouse about her amazing location, goals and dreams for Farmhouse Deli over the next few years and her thoughts on sustainability.

Are you able to tell us a bit about how the Farmhouse Deli started?

The Farmhouse started with a beautiful old villa, a honey business my partner and his brothers had created, and my passion for ice cream. I wanted to make honey ice cream, creating flavours from the fruit trees that were flourishing in the orchard out the back of The Farmhouse. From there, naturally, my passion for coffee, quality food and creativity all combined, and The Farmhouse was born! It took us over a year to renovate the villa into what it is today, making sure that along the way sustainability and the environment were always considered. What started as a small deli with only a few freshly baked items each day, and the idea to sell products that were made locally, has expanded to a cafe with a menu, events venue, a farm walking track and a pilates studio

Where is the Farmhouse Deli located?

The Farmhouse is based in Clevedon on a farm, 5 minutes from Clevedon village and 35 minutes south of Auckland City. 

What differentiates the Farmhouse Deli from other cafes and delis?

I wanted to create a place that was a bit different from other surrounding cafes. I didn't want just your average menu or to use the same suppliers as everyone else. I chose suppliers that are important to me because of their business ethos and the impact they have on the environment. I wanted to be able to support other small businesses that share similar beliefs and values and use and sell their goods at The Farmhouse. It was always super important to me and will continue to be important to work with other people and businesses who care and respect the natural environment around us. I think this largely makes us who we are, as it's not always just about the monetary profit at the end of the day.

Why do you do what you do?

I just love good, quality wholesome food, good coffee and beautiful spaces, and enjoy creating all three of those things for other people to enjoy also. It also makes me feel good, trying to do our bit, and giving back to the environment we live in by composting, recycling and minimising waste as much as we can!

What's the goals and dreams for Farmhouse Deli over the next few years?

The Farmhouse has not stopped naturally growing since we opened! So just trying to get on top of that, and thank all our beautiful customers every day. We're starting to host some beautiful events, so we're growing the property to be able to cater to that, without having too much impact on the land and the cafe. And we're also super passionate about using our produce from the farm, so we're looking to grow our gardens, plant more plants, and grow our farm to table experience in our kitchen. This again will help us eliminate more waste as we'll be receiving fewer deliveries!

Are there any big events or exciting projects you’re working on currently?

Nothing specific we're working on, just the growth of our garden is super important to us, so we can grow more edibles! Hoping to be bigger and better by summer!

As a smartass customer, you’re thinking about tree-free alternatives and limiting your plastic consumption dramatically. How do you approach sustainability as a whole at Farmhouse Deli?

Sustainability is something we consider with every decision we make. We always make sure any waste is going to the right place, ordering more less often and in bulk, minimising the impact of each delivery, and encouraging dine-in and BYO containers. Even before we opened, we decided to use the recycled soft plastic fence posts for our fencing, which you can see in the paddocks around The Farmhouse. 

What other smartass products or sustainable brands do you use at Farmhouse Deli?

We use both smartass toilet paper and handy towels. All our takeaway containers and bags are compostable from innocent packaging. We have a glass milk bottle swapper system, selling the best Jersey Girl A2 Organic milk which they provide to us in large bags that we use to fill the bottles, and then make sure the bag goes into the soft plastics recycling. Kokako Coffee and Webster's Tea have all compostable packaging. 

Are you seeing a shift in focus for customers when it comes to having a sustainable direction and waste management?

Definitely. We're seeing more people becoming aware of the impact they're creating. We're constantly encouraging and selling reusable cups to our customers and they are usually more than happy to buy one. I think we all still have a long way to go, but it's encouraging to have customers asking about waste, using reusables and supporting us and our suppliers.