How marketing nostalgia works for Chestnut Brae
Linda and John Stanley from Chestnut Brae
Linda and John Stanley made a (literal) tree change twelve years ago. Leaving the hustle and bustle of Perth, they moved three hours south to the small community of Nannup in Western Australia’s south west, where they purchased a 1,000-tree sweet chestnut farm, Chestnut Brae.
In those early days, the plan was to sell sweet chestnuts to Australians. But there was one problem - most Australians rarely buy chestnuts and do not know what to do with them. That discovery marked the start of a journey that took John and Linda to the chestnut regions of Europe, Asia and America.
The biggest consumers of chestnuts per head are the Chinese, followed by the Koreans, and then the Italians. They consume chestnuts in a number of different ways - and there is more to chestnuts than just roasting them.
Armed with over 300 recipes, John and Linda returned to their chestnut farm and started developing a unique food offer that has won them numerous awards over the years.
One way Chestnut Brae sells sweet chestnuts is by attending local farmers' markets. According to John, “This is where we first realised we were not selling chestnuts; we were selling nostalgia.”
The majority of chestnut consumers are of Asian and European origin, and the most common start to a conversation is, “This reminds me of…”, as they reminisce about experiences in Europe or Asia, consuming chestnuts in their youth from roasters on street corners.
Keen to highlight how versatile chestnuts are, Chestnut Brae often co-hosts dinners with celebrity chefs in restaurants in Perth and the Southwest. A meal starts with roasting chestnuts, then moves onto chestnut and pumpkin soup and chestnut-fed pork using the farm’s Wessex Saddleback pigs, accompanied by chestnuts in the vegetables, and served with their award-winning chestnut ale.
After the main course, the meal moves onto chestnut ice cream, chestnut pudding, and finishes with chestnuts in syrup alongside a cheese board accompanied by their own chestnut liqueur. All these products, along with chestnut flour, are produced from their accredited organic farm.
The diversity of chestnut products they produce is thanks to one simple piece of equipment, a chestnut peeler from Korea. Without this machine, the chestnuts would have to be peeled by hand, and then the process would become far too expensive.
Not only is the fruit used in production of products on the farm, but John and Linda also use the leaves to make chestnut leaf tea, which is a traditional health drink in parts of Asia. The fresh leaves are dried and then made into an herbal tea.
During December, fifteen beehives are also placed in the orchard to produce chestnut honey. The only other chestnut honey they have discovered is from an orchard in Italy.
The range of chestnut-based products is unique to Chestnut Brae and they ship across Australia as well as overseas.
Chestnut Brae has a farm shop and an online shop and also conducts farm experience tours year-round. Learn more and check out the wide range of products at www.chestnutbrae.com.au