Wayne and Alison Tewnion established the Tewnion Truffière in 1996. Situated at Yaldhurst, Old West Coast Road, Christchurch, they planted 600 trees in total, a mix of Oak and Hazel inoculated with the fungi Tuber Melanosporum, or Périgord Black Truffle. The truffle grows beneath the surface of the soil, among the root systems of specific types of trees and develops a symbiotic relationship with those trees. Historically as well as currently, these are the most famous black truffle and originate from the French province Périgord.
“Establishing our truffière initially required soil modification as the pH was too low to support the growing of Périgord Black Truffle. Over the years lime and other trace elements have been introduced. The truffière has been intense work over the 18 years before production, with thousands of hours spent developing the Truffière with weeding, pruning, modifications and extensive maintenance,” Wayne said.
In May 2014, Alison found the first 100g truffle. That year, 2014, they went on to produce more than 20kg of high quality Périgord Black Truffle.
“We are selling Perigord Black Truffle all over New Zealand into fine dining restaurants, wineries and to anyone who appreciates this black diamond of cuisine,” Wayne said.
For more information contact wayne@blacktruffles.co.nz.
