Torello Farm

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Torello Farm, is a market garden located in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. It's one of many farm gates in the area where you can buy locally grown and sourced produce directly from the farmer.




Here you can purchase seasonal fruit picked fresh daily from the trees. Veggies harvested from the soil next to the shop, including specialty potatoes and heirloom pumpkins. As well as everything else you might need to make a wholesome meal.




"We operate a significant composting program and farm using biodynamic principles without chemicals." - from Torellos' website .



Torello's Farmgate shop also stocks 100% grass fed, free-range and ethically farmed beef and lamb products that have been farmed on their nearby Tuerong property. The Belted Galloway beef is farmed from 2-3y.o cattle, which gives the meat a magnificently rich, full flavour, unlike most supermarket stocked beef that you will find are processed when they are yearlings.

Whilst a very small percentage of people have left negative reviews regarding the prices being "Too expensive", I thought I'd do a little bit of research to see if they had any merit. I know supermarket meat is somewhat cheaper to purchase than Torello's, and when you have a large family, or are on a tight budget it can be hard to justify paying any more for groceries than what you are already forking out each week. So what do you get for the price difference? A quick Google search led me to a Choice article from 2014 with some stats that Coles purchases 10,000 cattle per week, Woolies 11,500. The buying power alone of these figures is huge! Cattle are generally bulked up in the quickest time possible, and processed at a much younger age, thus reducing costs further. Cattle are generally taken out of a paddock and fed a high-protein diet in a designated feedlot for 60 - 70 days before being transported to (up to 36 hours without water) to an abattoir.

The cattle from Torello are farmed locally on a 100% grass-fed diet for two to three years before going from 'paddock to plate'. They are not sent to feedlots to be quickly fattened up on a high-protein grain diet, nor travel long distances to be processed, so overall this practice is much more sustainable, and kinder on the animals. As individuals, we get the choice to decide whether we support these practices by paying extra for ethically farmed meat.



Other locally sourced produce sold at the shop includes but is not limited to:

Torello also makes and sells vegan basil & kale pesto, strawberry & cardamom cordial, an assortment of pickles, jam, relishes, and sauces.
Ready-made meals can be purchased from the freezer and include options like braised lamb with cauliflower, cottage pie with gruyere mash, vegan sausage rolls, green vegetable curry, and lasagne.





If you're keen to learn sustainable practices that you can use at home, then a workshop here might be a great starting point. Workshops on offer at the moment are 'starting a vegetable garden' and 'wicking beds'.

Starting a vegetable garden workshop is run by local horticulturists, Mike Nielsen, and Camilla Lazaar. Between them, they have over 60 years of experience of gardening on the Mornington Peninsula. They will offer plenty of tips and tricks for you to take away from in this 90-minute workshop.

Wicking Beds workshop will cover:







For more information on Torello Farm, visit their website here , or for more Mornington Peninsula Farm gate information, click here .

Whilst you're in the area, take a look at some of these great places to visit. Hike along the Two Bays Trail , or walk to secluded Bushrangers Bay . Stroll on one of these stunning beaches. Eat chocolate and ice cream here , or pick your own strawberries here .

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