Australian black limes finding favour in Middle Eastern spice market

Property name: Bethel Estate Farm Who: Veronica and Grant Trethewey What: Black Limes Where: Wanerie (Shire of Gingin) Size: 30 acres A suggestion by a friend to produce black limes has sparked an exciting new business venture for Wanerie farmers Veronica and Grant Trethewey. The Tretheweys moved to their 30-acre property in Wanerie in the Shire of Gingin in the year 2000 and have been growing fruit on a commercial scale since 2004. “Initially we planted the property with 1000 mango trees which we grew from seed, following this we planted table grapes in 2006,” Veronica said. “Our dream when we bought the property was to live as self-sufficiently as possible and create a business which was sustainable as well as generational.” As soon as the property was producing enough fruit to be sold commercially, the Tretheweys began supplying the Canning Markets, however in 2010 their grape vines contracted a disease which could not be diagnosed by the Agriculture Department and eventually this led to them pulling out all their grape vines and deciding to plant their first area of land to 250 Persian limes in 2015. A second area of an additional 250 Persian limes was planted in 2019 with fresh limes sold to the Canning Markets as well as directly to other smaller outlets around Perth. It was in 2022 that a friend suggested making the prized Middle Eastern delicacy black limes which are used for their intense citrus flavour. Also known as noomi basra in Iraq, limoo amani in Iran and loomi in Oman, black limes are created by dehydrating or sun-drying Persian limes. The dark brown, almost black, limes are then ground into a powder which can be used to create supercharged citrus flavour commonly used in soups or stews but are now also being added to a growing list of products. Veronica started out in their home kitchen using the oven and a Thermomix to create the first batch of Australian black lime powder in March 2023. The result was very promising, so it was decided to go ahead and begin creating the value-added product at scale on farm and begin marketing their product. Certification of the Tretheweys’ home kitchen by the Shire of Gingin was granted in October 2023, following this the Australian Black Limes website went live, and almost instantly the response was an initial 40kg order of product from a customer in Victoria. “It was an amazing first order and very unexpected,” Veronica said. Attending the Buy West Eat Best WA food and beverage trade show Meet the Buyer in October last year was also another catalyst to get the business up and going at a higher level. “It made us realise how much more work we needed to do to start growing our business,” Veronica said. The list of Australian black lime products then started to expand with Veronica realising this was an ideal way to grow awareness of black limes as a seasoning and its many uses. In December 2023 the Tretheways decided to invest further and construct a 20m x 10m shed which would be used for a lime-washing and processing facility, commercial kitchen and storage area with the goal it will also be used in the future as a shop front to provide tastings to the growing tourist trade in the area which is feeding off Indian Ocean Drive. In January 2024 the Tretheweys purchased an industrial milling machine to create larger volumes of their black lime powder with demand for product now beyond the limitations of Veronica’s Thermomix. “We purchased a custom-made milling machine from Sydney made by Flamingo machinery and equipment which is capable of milling black limes once they have been dried in our industrial oven/drying machine,” Veronica said. The machine has been designed similarly to a nut milling machine with fine-tuning to suit black limes which are rock-hard and require serious hammering action to complete the process. Grant said as milling creates a lot of heat, batches are done in 20kg lots which take two hours to complete. On average 50kg of fresh limes will create 10kg of black limes with approximately 80kg of black limes produced a month. As part of the Tretheweys’ commitment to sustainability they run their property off-grid powered by solar panels and a back-up generator. Processing limes to create black lime powder does use a considerable amount of energy, however using renewable energy is part of the Tretheweys’ commitment to creating a sustainable product. Currently Grant and Veronica run the farm and business; however they have three sons David, 31, Jarrod, 29 and Seth, 27, who may consider becoming involved in the future. The Tretheweys’ grandchildren Hunter, 8, Aubree, 6, and Jye, 4, are also frequent visitors to the farm with Grant and Veronica committed to maintaining this way of life and creating a sustainable farm business as an option for their family into the future. Veronica said supporting other Australian family businesses is also part of their commitment to sustainability. Following an inquiry from a Kingaroy peanut farming family in Queensland to try Australian black lime seasoning for a new range of their flavoured peanuts the Tretheweys now also promote this product in WA. “Australian black lime flavoured peanuts are now available at Liquorland in Ashby and also through the ready-made meal company Dinner Twist,” Veronica said. “Finding Australian-grown peanuts in Western Australia is not easy, we are already seeing demand for this line of product grow.” Another partnership in value adding has begun with the Australian black limes skincare range. Products are created using the essence of the Persian limes collected during the drying process. Limes are high in vitamin C which is used in anti-aging and skin brightening products. Hillarys local skin care creator Marina Ambrosia is pH-testing the essence with positive results and is now using it to create a line of skin-care products for Australian black limes. The products include a lime essence face cream, face scrub, shampoo and conditioner and skin essence spray. Anecdotally the skin essence spray has had results which help balance the skin dermis, restoring pH levels and helping with conditions such as tinea. In the pipeline are two other products being a body wash and body scrub. “Packaging has been an important part of the sustainability of our business,” Veronica said. “We are using glass where possible and all recycled plastic which are sourced from local suppliers.” “We also use Australian products in our range of seasonings including Aussie pepper and chilli flakes.” The Tretheways’ property is free of pesticide and herbicide sprays with only an organic weed spray used, as well as good old-fashioned hand-weeding and slashing. Veronica said it was not hard to grow limes spray-free as they are naturally resistant to many pests. They feel it is important for the environment as well as for the people using their products that contact and use of chemicals is limited. The Tretheways are only at the beginning of their story into producing black limes and their growing list of products, with the future looking bright. They are seeing positive signs in the domestic market with online sales as well as food service inquiries. Selling green limes will continue to be a part of the Tretheweys’ business as well as growing demand for black lime products. The range of Australian Black Limes products are currently available online through Backyard Pantry as well as select outlets such as Locavore in Bindoon, Growers Lane in Subiaco, Chestnut Brae in Nannup, Malibu Fresh in Safety Bay and Basil’s Fine Foods in Mindarie. Further information is available on the website www.australianblacklimes.com.au.