Food and the future of food affects us all, so it’s essential to understand the ins and outs of food production, sustainability and to hear the true story behind what’s on your plate. Carlos with his deep seated roots to the land brings a human approach that helps to put it into context, have a clear understanding of food production from all sides and enables you to make informed decisions on how and what to eat without all the marketing hype!
Carlos grew up in Southland and his family is 5th generation farmers in Aotearoa. He has an extensive background in Marketing working for some of New Zealand’s major brands, as well as being one of the founders of My Food Bag. In 2023 Carlos received the revered Nuffield scholarship, a huge honour and opportunity to learn from farms all around the world and bring that knowledge back to Aotearoa.
The deep desire to return to the land and sense of responsibility to grow and produce good food, became a reality in 2019 when Carlos and wife Nadia Lim, took over the reins of one of New Zealand’s oldest farms Royalburn in Central Otago. Today the farm is one of the most diversified farms in the world – with not only sheep and beef, but sustainable cropping, a market garden, an abattoir, brewing, a retail shop, beekeeping, and corporate and wedding venue.
As a speaker, Carlos shares his inspiring story of growing Royalburn Station alongside his family and team- a true Kiwi farm to plate and entrepreneurial journey. In his down to earth manner, Carlos provides thought provoking insights into the future of food and how we will be able to feed global populations in the most sustainable and ethical way.
Talking Points
Key take-outs
• A balanced understanding around food production so as a business or individual you can make informed decisionsKey take-outs
• Understanding of what food producers go through
• Understand all the jargon - sustainability, regeneration, free from spray, organics.
• Open your mind and start a conversation on how we will feed global populations ethically and sustainably
• What goes into a startup and overcoming adversity along the way
• The ups and downs of farming – a big learning curve that will never end