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Cultivating Earth’s Hidden Treasure in Taranaki Soils
A journey of patience, science, and a little bit of magic.
Our Journey So Far
Deep beneath the rich soils of Taranaki, a quiet experiment is taking place.
We’re cultivating truffles — the rare, aromatic fruiting bodies of Tuber melanosporum fungi that grow in a remarkable partnership with tree roots.
It all began with 46 tonnes of lime, a handful of European-inoculated trees, and a lot of curiosity (and a touch of madness).
Since 2017, we’ve been planting, pruning, testing soils, and watching nature do its slow magic.
This is our truffle story — a blend of science, patience, and hope.
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What is a Truffle?
Truffles are the underground fruit of a fungus that forms a symbiotic relationship with tree roots.
The roots get nutrients; the fungus gets sugars — and, if conditions are perfect, a truffle forms.
🌱 Jan–Feb: Tiny truffles start to grow
🌿 Mar–Apr: Growth and slow maturing
🍂 May–Jun: Ripen underground
🐾 Jul: Harvest season
🌾 Aug–Dec: Spores spread, new mycelium forms, and the cycle begins again
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Why Grow Truffles?
Because… why not?
Truffles are mysterious, luxurious, and absolutely delicious — and they bring a bit of European magic to New Zealand soil.
Luxury & Value
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A new industry in New Zealand and Taranaki
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High value crop
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Helping shape the future of boutique horticulture in Aotearoa.
New Zealand’s Season Advantage
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Opposite growing season to Europe – great export potential
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Because Dogs!
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Let’s be honest — one of the best parts of growing truffles is the excuse to have a four-legged business partner. Truffle dogs aren’t just adorable — they’re incredible workers with a sense of smell up to 100,000 times more powerful than ours.
What Does It Take?
Growing truffles is still an experiment worldwide, with only about 50 years of orchard-based cultivation.
Our recipe so far includes:
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Inoculated European trees
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High soil pH
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Balanced moisture and sunshine
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A touch of winter chill to ripen truffles
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Vigilant weed and invasive fungus control
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Patience
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A sprinkle of luck 🍀
Our Timeline:
🪴 Preparation 2017 - 2020 lime, lime and more lime! 🪴 Planting (2020–2024) – 160 inoculated oaks, and more lime
🌱 Maintenance (2023 onwards) – Pruning, soil testing, and trace elements
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Finding Them
Meet Toffee, our Lagotto Romagnolo — the only dog breed officially recognized as a truffle hunter.
Her nose is 100,000 times more sensitive than ours and she can find a tiny truffle buried 20 cm underground in under a minute!
During harvest season, Toffee searches the truffière regularly to locate perfectly ripe truffles — no pigs here, just precision, patience, and tail wags. 🐾
Pre-Orders & Grades
We’re still in the cultivation phase, so no truffles… yet!
Once we’re harvesting, we’ll offer different grades of fresh truffles — from culinary gems for chefs to premium luxury truffles for connoisseurs.
Truffles are limited, seasonal, and highly perishable, so we’ll be offering pre-orders when we’re ready to harvest.
Stay in Touch
Join us as we dig (literally) into this adventure.
+64 (0)21 376 664
alison@torea.co.nz