Welcome to our first edition!

Hi, I'm Chef Glen Hagger, founder of GH Produce. I was born and raised in Tom Price, way up in the northwest of Australia—right on the edge of the bush. It was the kind of place where adventure started the moment you stepped out the door. My dad and I were always out on motorbikes, tearing off into the wilderness, dodging termite mounds, and riding through dry creek beds. We weathered more than a few cyclones out there.

Back in the ’90s, my dad had a native seed-picking business. He was at the forefront of mine-site revegetation, which at the time was a pretty pioneering idea. Looking back, I think that planted the seed (no pun intended) for how I see food and sustainability now.

Every year, we’d make the trip down to Kalbarri, and that’s where I first met the ocean—and got my first taste of surfing. My old man would push me onto a boogie board, and I was absolutely terrified. But the seed was planted again. By the time we moved to Busselton in ’97, I had the ocean right on my doorstep. Surfing quickly became my obsession—and still is.

All that adventuring made me seriously hungry. I had a fast metabolism (still do), and I was constantly chasing something good to eat. My Opa—my Dutch grandfather—was a chef, and the stories about his food and travels really stuck with me. On weekends, I’d start experimenting in the kitchen: cakes, slices, little treats. I was hooked.

By high school, my home economics teachers were telling my parents I had a natural knack for it and should think about doing it professionally. In Year 11, I signed up for a hospitality course and started work experience in local kitchens. The moment I stepped onto the line, something clicked.

That was it. I wanted to be a chef.

Stay tuned.
Cheers, Chef GH