Two Bay of Plenty truffle growers share the secrets of growing truffles and encourage landowners with unproductive land to get into the industry.
Matui Hudson and Annette Munday of Ohiwa Black Diamond Truffles have received more than $155,000 through the Ministry for Primary Industries’ sustainable food and fiber future program for a three-year period. The pair are said to share their knowledge with growers and hope that the industry will grow to such an extent that New Zealand can one day have a lucrative export market.
Hudson said that the truffle industry was traditionally very secretive, but that it could only grow if people shared their knowledge.
Australia was introduced to truffles after New Zealand was, but the industry grew because it was open about growing principles and received government support, Hudson said.
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Hudson and Munday had been selling truffles on the local market for over a decade and exploring the export market.
Hudson said he was not aware of any significant exports of truffles from New Zealand’s coasts, as the local industry did not have enough supply to meet demand.
Since collaborating with the Ministry of Primary Industries, the couple has held three workshops on truffle cultivation, with more planned this year.
“We’ve already received orders for about 10,000 grafted truffle seedlings of various haps and we’ve helped Kawhia whānau set up a truffle,” says Munday.
Hudson hoped Māori land trusts would step into the business as well. The local industry didn’t have good mentors, but there was an influx of new growers that the industry pinned its hopes on, Hudson said.
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Annette Munday and Matui Hudson of Ohiwa Black Diamond Truffles have received more than $155,000 for three years through the Sustainable Food and Fiber Futures program.
In the past, more than 400 truffles had been developed in New Zealand, but a large percentage of those did not produce truffles, and growers had removed the trees that were studded with truffles, Hudson said.
The company was researching and developing new truffle products that incorporate the health benefits of truffles with traditional Māori rongoā (healing), Hudson said.
There were many truffles who still kept their operations a secret, Hudson said.
Stephen Heard / Things
Now you can grow black gold. The truffle hunting season kicks off this month, with trained dogs being used to sniff out the truffles.
In a process called inoculation, the roots of young trees are immersed in truffle spores (seeds). Then they are kept in a nursery for a year until it could be confirmed that the spores were growing. These trees were then planted in an orchard. Truffles need soil with high acidity, Munday said.
Each tree can yield 200 grams to one kilogram in well-managed plantations, Munday said.
Truffles can yield between $2,500 and $3,500 per kilogram. Establishment costs per acre were between $35,000 and $70,000, the ministry said.