Hayden and Jasmin Findlay knew they had to think outside the square to make the small family farm at Moriac, Victoria, Australia a financially viable business.
They had been running cattle on the 36-hectare farm leased from Mr Findlay’s parents. In 2009, Mr Findlay quit his job at a seed company and they embarked on the huge task of revitalizing the Ravens Creek Farm.
Through hard work, research, and trial and error, it is now a vibrant, highly productive, biodiverse farm, based on regeneration and integration.
The Ravens Creek Farm cafe offers fair trade organic coffee, local wine and beer plus seasonal breakfast and lunch. All of the produce is grown on their farm, including (seasonally available) berries, honey, jam, chutneys and vegetables from their kitchen garden.
Event venue
Ravens Creek Farm is also available for weddings, corporate events and private celebrations. Their insulated, fully-lined shed provides a stunning setting for any event, with a view overlooking the berry orchard and paddocks beyond.
The current cafe and veranda area provides shelter for up to 90 people, however the space can be extended with marquees over our courtyard and grassed areas.
Here’s the Findlay’s story in their own words:
“We have taken a long time to get where we are and we still have a long way to go to make Ravens Creek Farm everything we want it to be.
Hayden has had a passion for farming and working on the land for as long as he can remember. He has many years experience working on farms around Victoria and South Australia, as well as in corporate agriculture.
In 2009, we decided to pursue our dream of making a living off our small family farm in Moriac. We knew that in order to make the farm a viable business we had to think outside of the square. We are passionate about using alternative, regenerative farming techniques in order to restore the land as well as earn a profit from it.
Over the past seven years we have been redeveloping the 90 acre property. In this time we have converted a humble beef farm providing minimal income, into a biodiverse, naturally regenerating environment with a wide variety of stacked enterprises.
Raspberries and a range of brambleberries were planted at Ravens Creek Farm in September 2011. The berries are now available to pick your own in December and January every year. We opened our cafe and farm shop in Spring 2013, and it continues to grow and evolve with us each year.
Hayden’s “Emerging Leader” award
We sell our grass-fed beef and true free range pork direct to our growing base of customers on a monthly basis. Our pork, bacon, ham and salamis are now available in various retail outlets across Geelong and the Surf Coast. We also produce our own natural honey, free range eggs, seasonal vegetables and cut flowers.
Hayden is a dedicated, passionate farmer who is eager to share his knowledge. He is considered a pioneer in various alternative farming techniques including planned grazing, key line design and agroforestry. Hayden’s incredible achievements were publicly recognised when he was named The 2014 Weekly Times Farm Magazine Outstanding Farmer of the Year, and the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria‘s Emerging Leader of 2015.”
See Ravens Creek Farm website.