- Kelly Johnson’s hobby of giving ugly fruit and veg a new lease on life started while working on a farm after quitting her job in 2018
- After noticing the farmer couldn’t sell most of his peaches, she dipped them in chocolate and sold them all out at the market
- Finding other ways to sell ugly or mishapen fruits and vegetables became a thriving business for Kelly
- Kelly Johnson, 53, from Mypolonga, SA, shares her story below
My husband, Mark, 47, phoned me from our home in Mypolonga, South Australia.
“We’re going to have to divorce if you stay away any longer,” he quipped.
It was October 2018, and I hadn’t lived at home for three years, stationed in Adelaide as a Scouts Branch Commissioner.
“You’re right,” I agreed. The following day I handed in my resignation.
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Before working with the Scouts, I’d raised my three boys, Blake and Craig, 23, and Luke, 20. I was happy to move home, but with my boys grown up, I felt directionless.
“Why don’t you find another job?” Mark said when I returned.
“I don’t like the sound of anything,” I shrugged.
That same week, I spoke to Cam, who was living on the property next door, and explained how I was feeling.
“You can help me out if you like,” he said.
Apparently, his farm had yielded a bumper harvest of peaches.
“I’ve dried most of them but haven’t been able to sell a thing,” he explained.
“I could dip them in chocolate and bring them to the market,” I suggested.
That weekend, I arrived at the local market with five kilos of chocolate peaches. In two hours, they sold out.
“Those peaches would’ve been thrown out if not for you,” Cam enthused.
“I should contact other farmers and see if they have produce to re-purpose,” I said.
A citrus farmer, Brian, gave me loads of lemons and oranges, which I dehydrated to make cocktail garnishes.
Before long, other farmers from across South Australia were contacting me, hoping to salvage the odd-shaped fruit and vegetables that shops wouldn’t take.
As a scout leader, I often made dehydrated meals for overnight hiking. Following the same method, I re-purposed the “ugly” produce to make dehydrated meals.
My first batch included mushroom risotto, minestrone soup, and curry, and sold out within hours.
I’m really onto something here, I marvelled.
Then a wholesaler asked me to sell my products in their store.
My hobby, born out of boredom, became Woodlane Orchard, a business operated from my kitchen table.
By 2021, I was unable to keep up with demand, so Mark and my mother, Helen, 73, were roped in.
“You look tired, love,” Mark said one evening.
“I’m just overworked,” I assured him.
However, his comment lingered and I decided to go for a check-up. Weeks later, my doctor called with devastating news.
“You have thyroid cancer,” she said gently.
The following month, doctors removed the tumour. Despite being sick, I was reluctant to stop the thriving business.
Fortunately, in May 2022, a local pomegranate farmer offered to let me use half his factory to create my meals. Getting the business out of the house was great.
Two years later, I’m cancer-free and we have moved into our own factory to cater for our 80 different products.
My food is now stocked in 60 stores Australia-wide as well as online.
I hope I’m helping people see that ugly fruit and vegetables aren’t so ugly after all.
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