Where: Gerangamete, Colac Otway Shire, Gulidjan and Gadubanud Country
Who: Potato farmers Peter and Sandra Scott
Peter, what’s your story?
I’m a simple man, but I dreamt big. My wife and I are small Victorian potato growers who took on the world of global snack companies with our unique purple potato chips. We have always worked hard and lived frugally, growing experimental seed potatoes for the Victorian Department of Agriculture. After more than a decade of trial-and-error we, and our son Dave, have finally mastered how to grow, cook and pack the perfect purple chip.
A purple-coloured potato chip?
Potatoes originally came in many different colours. The variety we use for our chips has purple flesh thanks to natural compounds called anthocyanins, the same powerful antioxidant found in blueberries.
Do you make other coloured chips?
We have a beautiful buttery yellow-coloured potato that fries perfectly into a chip, and we will soon begin harvesting a potato whose flesh fries to produce a potato crisp with a fire engine-red hue. We’re looking forward to seeing how that works.
Is it a big facility on your farm?
It is purpose-built, cost around $3.5 million, and we can wash, slice, fry, dry, salt and pack 1,500 90g packs an hour.
What do they taste like?
People tell us our chips are delicious – earthy, pleasantly aromatic, crisp and crunchy and finish with a clean, light salty tang.
Who’s a fan?
Respected food writer Wendy Hargreaves raves about us.
Where can we buy them?
Our stockists include the Leaf Stores in Melbourne, Terra Madre in Brunswick, Falco Bakery in Collingwood, Flinders General Store and the Burnley Grocer in Richmond.