Matters of Interest

Brussels Sprouts

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (15:28): Brussels sprouts, my favourite vegetable, are a famously polarising food. In my experience, few people are brussels sprouts agnostics. A brief sweep of Hansard reveals that many members over the years have made glowing reference to brussels sprouts. The Hon. Ian Hunter, for just one example, has declared his deep affinity for brussels sprouts on at least one occasion. Other members, however, have mentioned brussels sprouts as an especially disliked food. Shame!

This characteristic divergence in opinion is understood to be attributable to the way that individuals experience taste. Researchers have managed to pinpoint the specific gene that makes people more or less likely to experience a strong bitter taste response to a particular chemical, one that is found especially in vegetables from the Brassica family.

For anyone who shares my great enthusiasm for brussels sprouts, the next time you are digging into a serve of them there is a decent chance that if you have bought South Australian you are sampling the produce of A.E. Cranwell & Sons, one of our state's major growers of brussels sprouts. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to tour their operations at Hay Valley and get to know the family.

I love visiting South Australian businesses and learning what they do. I have often found, especially within small and family businesses, that it is not only hard-won expertise but great passion and a palpable sense of self belief that drive their work. My visit to A.E. Cranwell & Sons offered a striking demonstration of this. The Cranwells have been in the growing business for at least six generations. They are an exceptionally hardworking and passionate group of people. Through skill and determination, over many decades they have carved out an excellent niche as brussels sprout specialists. After starting with seven acres, they now have over 160 acres of brussels sprouts.

During my visit, I was pleased to speak with three generations of Cranwells. Maurice, who is now 90 years of age, took over from his father and he would still be working today had he not stepped back to care for his wife. Maurice's sons, John and Robert, now helm the operation. Robert's daughter, Erin, and his son, Josh, are both already integral to the business and in line to succeed their father and uncle.

John is quick to emphasise that even for a successful farm horticulture is never an easy living; in fact, it is relentless hard work. The Cranwells' long endurance speaks to the fact that they have risen to each challenge they have faced. They have done this, John explains, simply by not quitting. He says:

We've worked really hard, unbelievably hard, and we don't even have to do what we used to do with horses and hoes. When I started, we used to hoe all our sprouts twice by hand—all 40 acres—because we didn't have pre-emergent herbicide. And despite the innovations we still work really, really hard.

South Australians should never take for granted the tireless work and the enormous contributions of our small and family growers. Their work significantly underpins our economy and, crucially, the strength and integrity of our global reputation.

South Australia is renowned for our clean, safe and advanced horticulture production. Recent figures from PIRSA show that the 900,000 tonnes of horticultural products produced in 2022-23 generated a farmgate value of $1.17 billion. This success has people at its centre, people like Maurice, Robert, John, Erin and Josh, whose farm is not just their livelihood but a living testimony to the family's belief in themselves. John said: 'When I left school, I didn't think about money. I just wanted to come home and help my dad. That's why I am here.'

I was thrilled to be given a stalk of brussels sprouts to take home that day. I cooked them up with bacon and ate them, as I have done many times, and of course they were delicious, but this plate also came with a renewed appreciation for what goes into the food that graces our tables. I sincerely thank the Cranwell family for strengthening both my understanding of the experiences of our small and family growers and my appreciation of the magnitude of their impact on our state.