Grown for Flavour: Bringing 50 years of kūmara-growing expertise to your table

Fieldco, a Kiwi-owned family business, has been growing kūmara in Aotearoa New Zealand since 1976. Based in Dargaville, the kūmara capital of New Zealand, they combine decades of experience with ideal growing conditions to produce kūmara known for their flavour, texture and quality.

This year is also Fieldco's 50th anniversary, with five decades of experience sitting behind the company's Grown for Flavour promise.

At Fieldco, Grown for Flavour means everything they do comes down to bringing better-tasting kūmara to Kiwi tables. From choosing their growing regions, to seed selection and harvest timing, they do everything with flavour in mind, so the produce arriving in kitchens is not only fresh and reliable, but full of natural flavour.

While the region's warm climate and rich alluvial and sandy soils help create excellent crops, Fieldco believes great kūmara starts with care and expertise throughout the entire growing cycle. From planting through to harvest and storage, every step is carefully managed to ensure the very best kūmara reach Kiwi tables.

A kūmara crop can't be rushed. With one main harvest each year, usually during autumn, timing is everything. Harvest too early and the eating quality isn't at its best. Leave it too late and the weather can quickly become a challenge. Knowing when to harvest, how to handle the crop and how to store it correctly comes from decades of experience. Once harvested, Fieldco farmers carefully dig and lift the kūmara by hand to protect their delicate skins before storing them under carefully controlled conditions to maximise quality and flavour.

After decades in the field, you learn that flavour comes from judgement as much as process. It is knowing the crop, reading the season and making the right call at the right time. That experience is part of what sits behind Fieldco's Grown for Flavour promise.

Kūmara have been part of New Zealand's food culture since the 13th century and remain one of our most versatile vegetables. While steaming, baking, boiling and hāngī are all traditional favourites, there are countless ways to enjoy kūmara in modern cooking.

Roast them and serve with fresh herb dressings, add them to warming winter soups, use them to top comforting shepherd's pies, or even incorporate them into baking. They're equally at home in grain bowls, salads, curries, stews and gratins. For busy cooks, Kin & Crop Red Kūmara Yummo's offer a convenient option. Prepared in bite-sized pieces and flash-steamed to lock in nutrition and flavour, they make it easy to add kūmara to weeknight meals while cutting down on preparation time.

Over the years, Fieldco has evolved from solely a market gardener. Today, they have looked for more ways to help New Zealanders enjoy kūmara, whether that is fresh kūmara for everyday cooking, peeled and portioned frozen options for busy commercial kitchens, or distinctive snack products that tell a proudly New Zealand story. It is all part of making kūmara easier to use, easier to serve and harder to overlook.

Alongside their versatility, kūmara are packed with nutritional benefits. Red kūmara contain vitamin E and anthocyanins, orange kūmara are rich in beta-carotene, while gold varieties provide vitamins A and C.

Whether you're cooking kūmara for their flavour, texture or nutritional benefits, they're a true Kiwi favourite and a staple ingredient that deserves a place on every winter menu.

Looking for more recipe inspiration using New Zealand's iconic vegetable? Find it HERE

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