When Sarah Mosley, who studied hospitality in Switzerland, got a call from her Dad she jumped at the opportunity to quit the city and roll up her sleeves.
Now, the former hotel manager is following in her father's footsteps as she helps to run the family potato-growing business in South Otago.
"Dad was wanting an extra set of hands and my brother couldn't leave his job. I guess I was probably a bit more flexible," she said.
Fast forward a few years, and she's the operations manager at Kowhai Bush Farms near Balclutha.
Mosley is proud to be a sixth-generation potato grower.
"In 1850 William Alfred Moseley, who came out on the John Wickliffe, started growing potatoes and we still grow [them] on some of the same land."
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
The farm grows seven varieties of potato across 140 hectares in South Otago and Southland.
"We have Red King, Red Rascal, Van Rosa, Desiree, Agria, Nadine, Maraska, and we're testing out a couple of different varieties, Flamenco and Everest, to see what their shelf-life is like."
The farm and packhouse employs up to 25 staff, who process about 15 tonnes of spuds every day.
Sarah is keen to grow the business, but there are some major obstacles in her way.
"We'd need all new machinery, realistically. We're sort of running at capacity with what we have currently. So yeah, we'd need to look at investing in more technology, I guess."
Photo: Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
