Brothers Robert Harrison Jones and Alan Jones have been growing garlic their whole lives, following in the footsteps of their dad Peter Jones and his cousin Tony Tripe who originally started the business, then known as Piquant Garlic, back in the 1980’s when Marlborough was a mecca for garlic producers.

With their wives, Lorna and Marion, Peter and Tony built their backyard operation into an international business. When they moved into retirement in 2003, Robert and Alan took the reins, making the transition to working full-time in the allium industry.

Now, with the trading name changed to Garlico Marlborough, they have built up the business to supply approximately 40% of New Zealand's garlic. Since taking over, the brothers looked to maximise the excellent growing conditions in the region, introducing new categories of alliums each season, complementing the shallots and garlic which are still the main part of the business.

"We grow 26 hectares of garlic and around 14 hectares of shallots," says Robert. "Marlborough is the best place to grow garlic in New Zealand, with cooler winters, hot summers and low humidity - the climate has a lot to do with it."

Instead of letting the tractors and machinery sit idle between harvesting and planting they use their seasonal downtime to run an agricultural contracting business working primarily in vineyard development, as well as making land 'crop-ready' for Marlborough farmers.

 Demand has continued to grow as garlic and shallots became a not-so-secret ingredient enjoyed by a growing number of Kiwi households. In addition, the focus of health has never been more important, driving families towards high-quality produce which supports well-being.

"New Zealanders these days love cooking garlic and shallots, understanding that they add so much flavour when cooking," says Robert. "Looking back, one of the major things that gave demand a boost was when the cooking channel was launched, which drove people to look for garlic and shallots at the supermarket.

"These days people are aware of how to use them and aware of the extensive health benefits."

Even though the growing operation is demanding, Robert and Alan find time for their other love, which is enjoying a close connection with the Marlborough community. Individually, and through the business, they have been long-time supporters of the Marlborough A&P Show, sponsor the Heart Foundation and local clubs while also regularly donating product to support local community fundraisers and events.

"Alan is heavily involved with horses and that has left him to be a committee member of the A&P show in Blenheim for over 25 years," says Robert. "I'm involved in the local Renwick Rugby Club where my wife Vicki and I are life members and have both served for long periods on the Board of the Renwick Recreational Domain, which runs the grounds for a range of sports.

"As they say, if you want something done, give it to a busy person.

"The business supports a number of local events (as you do), with donated product that is used for fundraising."

Above all else, Robert says he enjoys the massive challenge of harvesting garlic and shallots, especially when the work is shared with family.

“The garlic harvest goes for about three weeks around January and the shallots in March. We machine dig them up and leave them out for mother nature to do her job of semi-drying the fresh product, then with a handful of people and a bit of machinery, we bring in the season’s crop.

“We have a small team of permanent staff who are amazing and then bring in casual workers as required and when my three kids are home, they get commandeered to help do the work, especially at harvest times.

“My daughter, Olivia, gets involved. She’s finishing her teacher training, so when she’s back during uni breaks she's out on the tractor or on the harvester.

“One of our boys, Zac also helped in the field but is now overseas, so I’m waiting for son number two, Quinn, to get back in October after he’s finished his stint in Invercargill playing rugby for the Southland Stags, and we’ll have him through to February working the machinery and welding repairs.

“Alan’s daughter, Emma, along with our nieces and wives have also all done their stint in the packhouse at what Alan and Robert affectionately calls the ‘University of Garlico’.”

The business has enjoyed a relationship with MG that goes back to the early days when Peter and Tony got started, with the partnership continuing to grow over the years.

“We deal with Mike Breitmeyer and Roger Georgieff, along with the guys in the different MG branches throughout New Zealand – we all get on like a house on fire,” adds Robert.