On the southern edge of Auckland, Pukekohe’s volcanic soils have been turning out good vegetables for generations. Since 1956, these soils have been home to the Fong family and their family business. Now, the Fong family enterprise proudly marks 70 years of excellence.

Today, the next chapter is being written by Cameron Fong, who at 28 has stepped into the CEO role at The Fresh Grower, backed by a close knit family and a team that knows how to get things done when the alarm goes off early.

“We are currently farming approximately 500 acres of land,” Cameron says. “We grow a wide range of lettuces, spinach, coriander, mainly leafy greens. Variety wise, it’s 20 plus.”

That range is not a happy accident. The Fresh Grower has built its name on taking niche lines and turning them into everyday favourites. Baby cos lettuce, fancy lettuce and baby spinach have become go to choices for shoppers who want something fresh, quick and interesting, without needing to be a chef.

The business is a well known part of the Pukekohe story. The Fong’s are recognised locally as a three generation farming family, with deep knowledge of both their growing practices and their market. In recent years, that focus has expanded into a more deliberate brand and product strategy, pairing new varieties with clear messaging about how to use them at home.

That brand strength is a real asset. In produce, quality matters, but being recognisable on shelf gives a business a head start with consumers and a stronger platform for innovation. Cameron credits his uncle, Allan Fong with much of that thinking.

“We’re fortunate that our brand is fairly well known, and I believe customers recognise it” he says. “All our bags are colour coded as well and it’s quite bright looking. We try to make it stand out.”

It is not just what the product is, but how it is explained. The Fresh Grower has leaned into education through food shows, in store tastings, and practical ideas that help customers feel confident trying something new.

“Promoting and explaining to customers what it is and what it tastes like is an important part of what we do,” Cameron says. “Along with sharing cooking tips and ways to use it.”

A good example is Crunchita, a lettuce type with a clear point of difference. Alongside it sits other key lines that has helped The Fresh Grower develop a point of difference in the market.

“Baby cos, we were one of the first to grow it in New Zealand,” Cameron says. “and baby cos remains one of our strongest lines.”

Behind the brand and the range of crops sits a sizeable operation. The Fresh Grower employs around 100 staff and much of the work is hands on. With different varieties planted for different times of the year, the planning and harvesting programme needs tight coordination.

Cameron’s leadership style has been shaped by working on the tools and learning the job from the ground up.

“I basically started from the bottom,” he says. “Then I just worked up through the business.”

After completing a Bachelor of Business and Management, he returned to the farm full time, stepping through harvest, packhouse, dispatch and team leadership before taking on sales, planning and harvest management.

Succession is often talked about in horticulture as a challenge. Here, it is a strength, because it is shared. Cameron’s older brother Daniel leads the growing side and his twin brother Matthew works as inventory manager in the packhouse. His cousin Ryan is involved in tractor work and compliance and Ryan's wife Erin is the CFO. His father, Colin, and uncle, Allan remain close, providing experience and perspective, while another cousin Jessica supports the business with health and safety and marketing.

“We’re quite a tight family,” Cameron says. “We all grew up together on the farm.”

That closeness shows up most when the pressure is on. “It does get stressful at times and tough, but we pull through,” he says. “We all help each other out and work together as a family.”

The Fresh Grower’s relationship with the MG Group plays a practical role in getting that produce into homes.

“We talk almost every day,” Cameron says. “On sales and what we’ve got in store, and what we’ve got in the field.”

He says that regular communication helps them keep moving volume, with the MG Group team selling The Fresh Grower range through the market each day and supporting strong supply to customers.

Cameron has stepped into the CEO role with a clear understanding of what the business needs, and with strong support around him. There is a quiet confidence in how he describes the next phase. The foundations are strong, the family is close, and the drive for innovation has not slowed down.

“We want to keep building the business, continue on the family legacy,” he says.