Friends of ETCH - Meet Jade King, Grower at Green Valley Fingerlimes
Jade King is a passionate fingerlime producer based on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and serves as Chair of the Australian Native Fingerlime Alliance (ANFA). With a Bachelor of Science in Soil Science, a Master’s in Agriculture, and a Graduate Diploma in Education, Jade brings a deep academic foundation to her hands-on work in horticulture.
A proud Nuffield Scholar, Jade has travelled extensively to research fingerlime production across the globe. Her dedication to innovation and sustainability makes her a respected leader in Australia’s native food industry.
In addition to running Green Valley Fingerlimes, Jade is an independent agronomist and Head of the Agriculture Department at her local college, where she teaches the next generation of farmers and agri-scientists. Her love of soil chemistry, plant physiology, and entomology is infectious - as is her commitment to working with nature, not against it.
Tell us the story behind Green Valley Fingerlimes and how you came to find yourself as a fingerlime farmer
I’d always loved Australian native produce and knew I wanted to grow something unique, but hadn’t settled on what. At the time, I was growing ginger, my area of expertise.
As part of a class assignment, I asked my students to research new crops that could be grown on our property. I promised that whichever option was selected by an independent judge, I’d commit to planting it.
One student chose fingerlimes - and they won.
What began as a “small patch” quickly grew into 350 trees, and just like that, I became a commercial fingerlime grower!
I’ll admit, two and a half years later at our first harvest, I nearly pulled them all out - the thorns and spikes were unforgiving. But something told me to keep going, and I’m so glad I did.
What does a typical day looks like for you at the farm?
Four days of the week I’m actually a full-time agricultural teacher and have students on the farm. For the three other days, I’m primarily a farmer. On these days if it’s harvest time my day starts at first light, usually with hubby and a few friends (who double as my picking crew) we head into the orchard to start the day. Today we harvested fingerlimes for the next batch of ETCH – Fingerlime & Lemon Myrtle!
We get gloved up and put the full body armour on, and head out with our baskets to harvest in the early light. Once we harvest the fruit, we take it back into the shed to sort and pack it. It’s so exciting packing our fruit for ETCH knowing that they will go all over Australia.
What does it mean to you, as a grower, to see your fruit featured in our drinks?
To be featured in ETCH Sparkling’s drinks is not only an honour due to our fruit being in such an amazing product, but also because we get to deal with some of the most beautiful people in business that we have ever met. I love their authenticity, their integrity, and their passion. I also love that it is a true Australian family business.
What’s your favourite way to enjoy fingerlimes at home?
This varies according to the season; in summer, I love fingerlime pearls on ice cream. In spring I toss through a salad to add an amazing flavour and texture. In winter I add to my green tea to ward off any of the bad bugs going around. In autumn you can’t go past Fingerlimes on smashed avocado with some feta cheese! Yum!
How important is sustainability in the way you farm and run your business?
Sustainability is incredibly important to us on the farm. I see myself as a steward of the land, with a responsibility to leave it better for future generations - my goal is always to improve our land for the future. This cannot happen without consistently undertaking sustainable practices
Like most farmers, I’d rather not spray chemicals. But unlike many, I’m lucky - my farm is small enough that I can avoid it entirely. The orchard is alive with birds, lizards, and frogs, and nothing makes me prouder than knowing I’m creating a thriving habitat for these little critters.
A keen rock climber, when Jade’s not navigating the world of fingerlime farming, you’ll find her climbing a nearby mountain with her husband Joel - the adventurous duo were married at Mount Tibrogargan last year!