Rancho Relaxo is a citrus farm situated on the rich volcanic soils of the Byron Bay hinterland in Northern NSW, Australia.
Owners Jane Boniface and Jose Falagan grow premium quality limes and mandarins that are sold locally and used in Rancho’s hand-crafted cordials.
The orchard is certified organic and pesticide free.
Jane and Jose take a sustainable, low-intervention approach to farming, assisting nature rather than pushing for bumper crops, and treating the land with respect.
OUR STORY
When we moved to our farm in 2002 it was predominately stone fruit, custard apples and citrus with 200 lime trees.
When we saw how many chemicals were involved in growing stone fruit, we got rid of all the stone fruit and tripled the lime trees. The limes needed no chemicals and there was no problem with fruit fly.
We named our farm Rancho Relaxo (very much tongue in cheek); Relaxo, not very mucho! Friends and family loved to come for some relaxo though.
Rancho Lime
Jane started making her lime cordial in the early days, just for our visitors.
Everyone loved it; so much so that one day a friend said to Jane: “You should really put this in a bottle, this is fabulous you know.”
Jane eventually got in touch with a food scientist friend who helped perfect her method, creating a cordial that retained the fresh flavour and goodness of limes without the use of preservatives.
Rancho Lime was popular with our customers from day one. It was also a hit with the critics. In 2006 we entered it in our first competition, the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show, where much to our delight it picked up a Silver Medal. It was the first of many – since 2006 Rancho Lime has been awarded two Gold, two Silver and three Bronze at the Royal Sydney and Royal Hobart Fine Food Shows.
Rancho Mandarina
We developed Rancho Mandarina a few years after Rancho Lime, when we realised there was nothing like it on the market.
To balance the intense sweetness of the mandarins, we add a little lime juice, which gives it a nice clean finish.
In 2011, Rancho Mandarina scored Silver in the Royal Hobart Fine Food Awards, scoring 96 out of a possible 100, and in 2012, it picked up the Gold.
Elderflower
Jane’s latest cordial is Elderflower, a refreshing summer drink made from our home grown Elderflowers.
To make the cordial, Jane picks the delicate flowers by hand, soaks them with organic lemons for 48 hours, then hand squeezes the juice through muslin.
Elderflower Cordial is available in limited supply during the spring and summer months,
MISSION
Our mission is to create products of maximum quality and taste for our customers. Our sustainable farming values include pesticide-free farming initiatives, organic certification and hand-working the limes for optimal flavour