Stafford Lane Estate on the Moutere Highway, Nelson, has for many years been associated with Doug and Georgie Simpson of Waimea Nurseries. On the 18th December 2001 Mike and Carol McGrath took on this exciting and challenging ten hectare property on the Waimea plains. When purchased, the property produced mainly wines using their own grapes, with olives trees for table olives and oil, and they have quickly diversified into a range of other products, utilising the huge variety of orchard plantings available.
"Marinated olives, olive tapenade, peach and plumcot chutney, plum and chile sauce, minted apple jelly, and we just started making bottled sugar pears - a miniature pear," Mike enthusiastically detailed, noting that all the fruits are grown on their property. Carol continued that, "we have Taylors Gold pears being picked for the european market this week, then the grapes, apples of course which are sold at the roadside stall and then there are over 1000 feijoa trees and the olives."
It involves a lot of planning and they are also constantly looking for improvement. Peter Coeland has been appointed as manager, "and between him and the notes Mr Simpson left us - which are pretty extensive, we are coping really well." Mike said. "We have been so busy we haven't had time to miss our past life."
Mike was an Auckland pharmacist, and while his wife Carol was brought up on a dairy farm, her father always said she was the most 'townie' dairy farmer's daughter he ever knew. She was a school dental therapist and laughed, "I worked at a school next to the motorway, under the Skytower."
It is the complete lifestyle change, getting away from the rat race and the city and choosing to bring up their kids in a better environment, but it was not a decision taken lightly. Mike has been studying horticulture via correspondence, and they had been looking for a property New Zealand wide for at least three years. Two years ago they decided on Nelson, and have been holidaying here regularly since. Last May, Mike came down and inspected more than 100 properties, and in July, Carol and the children came down to view the shortlisted ten.
"We had a priority for bareland to build a house," Carol said with a smile, "but what swayed us in the end was a property that was up and running, so we had income straight away. The more we looked at it, the more we liked the idea of it, the diversity - you didn't have all your eggs in one basket."
The people of Nelson have been very welcoming Carol said, "in fact so friendly that when we first started meeting people we were a bit taken back." And Mike joked, "the kids have only been called 'jaffas' twice!"
The McGrath's consider Stafford Lane a unique boutique and plan to continue the development of the winery and shop, which is already popular with small independent tour busses. The various, small and handcrafted products are popular with local and overseas visitors, and they are one of the few places in Nelson, besides the market, where you can taste olive oils. "We are growing this side of the business, and we welcome more people to come in and simply taste the olive oil," Mike said. "There is a lot of confusion amongst consumers still about olive oil. We (New Zealanders) have had bulk supplies of cheap olive oil from overseas for cooking for years. Now we are producing a unique and niche type of product, at the very top end of the market for tasting."
The McGraths value the continuing good relationship with Waimea Nurseries who still use the property for budwood. "We want to keep that going, we can learn a lot from them and they know the property so well, any problems they are probably aware of and can help out with advice," Mike assured.
"It is a completely different lifestyle, but we are enthusiastic, prepared to give anything a go, and hard working people, and its really worked out well so far."
