A milestone for better health
When Karen and Jason McGrath started Southern Alp Sprouts in 1998, they had no idea that 25 years later their “cottage industry” would be the largest supplier of sprouts in the South Island.
A lot has changed since that fledgling business in her garage. Southern Alp Sprouts is now based in a state-of-the-art facility on the family’s Yaldhurst farm, where they produce sprouts ranging from mung bean to broccoli, snow pea to alfalfa.
This factory is a point of pride for them both, with Karen saying this is the culmination of a lot of hard work and “very few days off” and them working as a team. “I couldn’t have done this without Jason, he is the backbone of the business’s development.”
Despite the growth and success of the business, what keeps them passionate is the swathes of research pointing towards sprouts as a superfood with an array of health benefits.
“I love them because they are so good for people,” she says with a smile. “Sprouts promote health.”
One area of research gets her particularly excited: “I completely revere broccoli sprouts.”
Broccoli sprouts contain sulforaphane, which protects cells against inflammation and studies have shown it to slow tumour growth and prevent benign carcinogens from becoming active ones. Other sprouts they grow, such as radish and alfalfa, have similarly beneficial concentrated natural phytochemicals. All sprouts serve to protect against a variety of diseases.
Sprouts being functional food with such high nutritional value is even more important to the pair now amid the cost of living crisis.
“They’re affordable nutrition. You only need a little bit, and they are all so important for the structure of your well-being.”
Karen, Jason, and family plan to celebrate with their “awesome team”, with Karen saying: “Cheers to 25 years of eating good quality, nutritious food for a good quality of life.”