The origins of Three Blue Ducks at The Farm
Chris Sorrell, Three Blue Ducks OG
“It chose us, really”. Chris, one of the original trio behind Three Blue Ducks, shares the origin story behind how Three Blue Ducks ended up here at The Farm at Byron Bay.
Friends and foodies Mark Labrooy, Chris Sorrell and Sam Reid-Boquist were the OG Three Blue Ducks. “The Ducks”, as they’re often referred to these days, held a clear vision right from the start and have stayed true to it all these years; to provide quality food and service in a conscious way.
The original Bronte location opened in Sydney in 2010, where the crew established a small, productive onsite garden, growing fresh herbs and produce which would feature on the seasonally inspired restaurant menu.
A handful of happy hens out the back produced fresh eggs and fertilised their veggie patch, and from there the Ducks made it their mission to source their ingredients as locally and sustainably as possible.
Their ethos around quality, local produce, gained a loyal following and began to inspire change in the community.
The Ducks were heavily involved in the inaugural “Grow it Local” program - an initiative encouraging people to grow their own produce, which would be cooked by Three Blue Ducks’ chefs as part of a highly anticipated annual event in their community. Word got out, and the Ducks became renowned for their strong values around sustainability and for supporting local, ethical growers.
Tom and Emma, the original owners of The Farm at Byron Bay, saw the synergies between what they were looking to create and what The Ducks were already doing. They approached the Three Blue Ducks team with a compelling invitation. “How would you like to open a restaurant here at The Farm, where you can grow your own food on the property?”
It was exactly the opportunity the Ducks had been waiting for.
Chris describes how Three Blue Ducks in Byron Bay has evolved and grown over the years at The Farm, and how the Farm has continuously transformed around them. The arrival of Oliver’s Hens at The Farm came with organic, pasture-raised hens, producing an abundance of fresh, high-quality eggs, just a stone’s throw from the restaurant. Katerina of Byron Fermentary began creating flavoursome misos, savoury salts and seasonal krauts which complement many of the dishes on the Ducks’ menu.
Josh & Lynette + family
Josh and Lynette, long-term market gardeners known as Greens from the Farm, provide a continuous source of salad greens and vegetables. And the participants of the newly introduced Farmer Incubator Program, a partnership between Farmers Footprint Australia and The Farm, began producing edible greens and herbs which regularly feature in sauces and dishes at The Ducks.
These micro-businesses all complement one another, and all provide precious ingredients to Three Blue Ducks’ restaurant. As far as sourcing locally is concerned, the restaurant couldn’t be any closer to the origins of these vegetables and eggs if they tried. Growers in the broader northern rivers region also supply to the Ducks, providing the rest of their fresh produce needs while keeping it as local as possible.
One of the things Chris appreciates the most about being at The Farm is the collaboration between all of the businesses here. The Ducks’ restaurant receives ‘something from everyone’.
The Chefs talk to the growers and find out what’s coming up in the fields, and they plan the menu around what is abundant and in season.
They’ve created a circular system where there’s almost no waste, and they use composting to recirculate nutrients back into the soil, all fitting into the regenerative nature of The Farm. “Composting is a way to measure how much we’re saving on general waste”, Chris shares. “Eggshells and coffee are separated out, and everything else goes into our general compost. There’s an onsite composting manager, Ryan, and he works with our inhouse compost manager Gus to ensure that process is seamless”.
The addition of four new owners - Darren Robertson, Jeff Bennett, Andy Allen and Paul Dewhurst, each bringing their own unique experience and highly regarded reputations, have allowed the business to create a much bigger impact in their conscious food movement The Ducks now have five restaurants throughout Australia, including the flagship restaurant in Byron Bay.
Chris talks of how the Ducks team makes their business decisions, and it quickly becomes clear that they prioritise the environment.
It’s not just words with these guys, their environmental commitment is evident in their practices. They’ve introduced an E-water system, which uses rainwater harvested onsite, combined with salt at varying concentrations to create a fermented salt cleaning product, a sanitiser and a disinfectant.
There’s no packaging or transportation costs, they’re all environmentally friendly, low footprint products produced on site, and they’re organic and food safe.
Food you can watch grow whilst you eat…
This means they’re actually edible, so they can even be used to spray on fresh produce to prolong its life. All this happens using energy from the sun, utilising the solar panels on the roof of The Farm buildings.
“We choose to buy things with minimal plastics. We have a milk system where our milk comes in bladders, and our wine comes in kegs instead of glass bottles. Our fresh fish is delivered in plastic tubs that are returned to the supplier to be reused indefinitely”, Chris shares.
“Wherever possible we’re making very local choices, looking at how far things have travelled, how they’re grown, how they’re packaged. We want to know if it’s Australian or New Zealand grown, and is it organic, spray-free, fair- trade, another certification that we know and trust? 100% sustainability almost isn’t possible, but we’re doing everything we can to reach optimum level of sustainable practices”.
Says Chris.
He shares how part of his role at the Ducks is in finding new technologies and ways of doing things that help to reduce their impact on the environment. They’re looking into b-corp certification, and constantly check in that they’re asking the right questions when choosing suppliers. They’ve got a focus on measurability too, looking at how they can save more energy and water - actually putting numbers to this so they can track the tangible difference their choices are making.
When asked about some of the highlights of working with the Ducks, Chris said there were too many to mention. One of the most rewarding events he recalls was the fundraiser for drought-affected farmers in 2019.
And when asked what he loves most about The Ducks in Byron Bay, Chris shared, “The open spaces. The restaurant gets busy, but looking outside and seeing green fields and sunshine, seeing how happy people are, makes everything feel so worthwhile. I love that we’re sharing delicious food with people, and doing it with a clear conscience, without sacrificing the environment”.
