YOUR INDUSTRY
Allan Fong
Slowing down and family time key If Pukekohe market gardener and chief executive of The Fresh Grower Allan Fong could dish out one piece of advice to his younger self, it would be to slow down and spend more time with his family. By Maggie McNaughton The 65-year-old has recently stepped back from the job that has consumed his life since he was a youngster. “My parents were from China and they started their own vegetable growing business in Pukekohe in 1950 and us kids would help out before school and after school every day,” Allan says. Allan and his younger brother Colin eventually took over the farm and recently Colin’s three sons have taken up the reins.
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The ORCHARDIST : MAY 2021
“In the last 18 months I’ve stepped down a bit and am letting the young ones coming through take over a lot of the operational activities.” Being a business owner is very high pressure and takes a toll on your health if you’re not careful, says New Zealand-born Allan. “It’s not a 9am to 5pm job and there is constant pressure. When I was younger, I used to work crazy hours. I was working 100 hours a week, seven days a week and then about 20 years ago I had a stroke. I had to learn to
quieten down a bit and take it easy,” he says.
I was working 100 hours a week, seven days a week and then about 20 years ago I had a stroke “I make sure I tell the young ones starting out to take breaks and have time off for holidays, take Sunday off, so they have more balance in their lives.”
