Thriving Foods Farm

Thriving Foods Farm is a certified organic market garden and egg producer operating in Koo Wee Rup and Iona, Victoria. The farm is owned and run by Paul Watzlaff and Clare McCulloch, first-generation farmers who began growing food in a backyard before expanding into a commercial operation focused on local food resilience.

The farm grows a wide range of seasonal vegetables and produces pasture-raised, free-range eggs, supplying households directly through a home-delivery vegetable box system, farmers’ markets, and farm gate pickup. Their approach prioritises short supply chains and direct relationships between grower and community.

Thriving Foods Farm operates as a fully chemical-free system, with no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers used. Farming practices are guided by organic, permaculture, and regenerative principles, with a strong emphasis on building soil health over time rather than simply extracting yields.

Chickens are raised at very low stocking densities and rotated on pasture, contributing to natural fertilisation and soil improvement. Market garden beds are planted with diverse crops throughout the year to support soil biology and seasonal resilience. The farm’s focus is on producing nutrient-dense food while leaving the land in a healthier state than when farming began.