NORTH of the Adelaide CBD is a fourth-generation bunch-line vegetable grower and supplier who has continued to thrive since his family started growing quality products in the 1940s.
The business is Thorndon Park Produce, and it was founded in 1945 by Luigi De leso, an Italian immigrant with a humble dream that began with the basics of spring onions, radishes, and parsley, picked by hand and sold at local markets.
Today, that same land is run by his grandsons, Anthony and Danny De Ieso, who have transformed it into one of South Australia’s premier bunch vegetable producers — yet still anchored in the same values of quality, sustainability, and community.
They still grow spring onions, radishes, and parsley but now also spinach, silverbeet, beetroot and kale (green and red) all year round. You can also find their produce in the major supermarkets, independents and other outlets.
Anthony has been involved in the business for 12 years, and is a grower along with general manager of sales, distribution, and staff management.
Mr De leso said he had seen some changes over the years, and climate was one factor that had made it challenging at times.
“With the change in climates we have had to adapt to this in particularly with different seed varieties at different times of the year,” he said.
“We have had to undertake lots of trials to establish the best variety for the best time of year, and have adapted to ever-changing weather conditions.
“Building relationships with industry input providers such as seed and fertiliser companies has also been important.
“We have also had to readjust our machinery and use less fertiliser to get better results, as well as look at the costs of fertiliser.
“The lack of rainfall in recent times as also been challenging, as the rain helps flush the soils and helps produce a healthier crop.
“The lack of rain also means a higher stress on input costs. Our electricity costs have gone through the roof, and the lack of rain has led to an excessive use of bore water.”
Mr De leso said it was extra rewarding to have success with the business being family run with so much history.
“It is a little unique in that I am one of a few people in my friendship circle that works in a family business, and working for your family and reporting to Dad makes it more rewarding than just collecting a paycheck,” he said.
“Family is really important to me but the only downside is that at dinner time all we end up doing is talking about work. Dad always brings something up that he wants to talk to us about.
“This industry is so unique in a way that everyone knows what a vegetable is – we all eat it whether we are growers or not.
“However, most of the time when I have discussions with people, they can’t tell you about where it comes from and how it ended up in their fridge, but with Thorndon Park Produce this isn’t the case.
“The other rewarding part of my job is sharing with people how produce comes to their shopping basket, from using social media platforms, running programs and encouraging site visits. I find sharing the joys and fun of what I do with the general public to be very rewarding.”
He said the Covid-19 pandemic had bought change with the way consumers approached things.
“When the initial restrictions and panic buying began, we saw a massive increase in sales for common vegetables like spinach, but a drastic drop in herb lines, especially when restaurants were forced to close,” he said.
“As things have begun to settle and Covid-19 has become very real to the way we all live day to day, sales have continued to be fairly steady.
“Another change has been that a lot more people now cook at home and there has been a drop of sales on trickier stuff like fresh herbs but an increase in people wanting to buy things like spinach and silverbeet.”
Mr De leso said there were certain things they had to be aware of as growers of quality produce.
“The key to growing quality produce is to be aware of weather patterns and what they might bring, for example, with heavy rain and humid or warm-to-hot summers then we need to look out for bacterial diseases like fungicide,” he said.
“We also have regular communication with agronomists that we deal with directly, and we are continually adapting and learning. You need to be on top of insect behaviour and when they like to attack.”
Another change has been a focus on more supermarket representation and trying to maximise the profitability of their products, and they are now supplying raw bulk product lines as a cost-effective measure to encounter rising input costs.
Mr De leso said he loved supplying the SA and interstate markets with Thorndon Park products, the different relationships that he has built over the years, and the business and non-business conversations that he has with customers and others from the industry.
Mr De leso was also recognised as a finalist for a prestigious awards ceremony at Brisbane in June. He was nominated for the Muirs Community Stewardship Award, and the Corteva Agriscience Young Grower of the Year.
The 2025 Horticulture Awards ceremony was held during the Hort Connections Gala Dinner, held in June, marking the culmination of Hort Connections 2025, in Brisbane.
As the Southern Hemisphere’s largest horticulture industry Conference, Hort Connections was jointly hosted by AUSVEG and the International Fresh Produce Association Australia-New Zealand (IFPA ANZ).
Hort Connections 2025 was held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from June 4 to 6, with delegates attending from around Australia, New Zealand, and the globe.
If you want to see what they are up to on the farm you can search for Anthony De leso on YouTube, where he talks more about the different projects and trials that are being undertaken.
You can also find Thorndon Park Produce via the website (www.thorndonparkproduce.com.au/) and via their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/people/Thorndon-Park-Produce/100063716430179/).
