By the summer of 2022, Jade Papesch and her husband Lyntton Tonta hope to be welcoming people to their Windmill Farm distillery and brewery ‘paddock to bottle’ venture they are opening with friends Dave Chapman and Karen Keaveny on Swamp Road, Jamberoo.

“We looked everywhere, including Tasmania and Queensland, and it is fantastic that we have ended up in the Jamberoo Valley,” says Jade, who is known to many as a presenter on WaveFM.

“It took 837 days from our first meeting with Council until our DA was approved, but we are finally there.”

The DA combined subdividing a 14 acre block off Mayor Mark Honey’s family farm, Riversdale, extinguishing the housing entitlement, and gaining approval for a brewery, distillery and café/restaurant on site. Courses will also be run there.

“Because it involved subdividing agricultural land, we had to prove that you are using the land for agriculture so it was the advice of Council to do it all at once,” says Jade.

“We want to show people how if you can get a small piece of agriculture land, and if you are clever and can diversify, you can make an income from it.

“The problem we have in this area is that a lot of outsiders are buying up prime agricultural land, putting a couple of cows on it and using it as a holiday house.”

Brewer Dave Chapman with Lyntton and Jade

Their multi-faceted plan is to grow what they can on site or enlist the help of local producers to try and keep it all as close to home as possible.

“Using regenerative agricultural practices, everything we grow we will be using at our distillery, the brewery or in our kitchen,” says Jade.

They will be sowing barley in May, and planting hops for the beer. There will also be botanicals to flavour the white spirits, chickens, cattle, honey and a market garden. There is talk of an apple orchard to make cider.

The project combines the Jade and Lyntton’s long held desire to expose their four children to farm life with his passion for distilling, particularly whisky.

After having to give up his life as a pilot for medical reasons three and a half years ago, he has focused on developing his knowledge and skills in the craft.

His background, growing up on a cereal and dairy irrigator’s farm near Denilliquin, means he also has a love for, and understanding of, farming.

“He really wanted to give a regenerative farm lifestyle and knowledge to our children,” says Jade.

The riverfront site

The old dairy will be the whisky room of the distillery/brewery conversion, with Dave running the brewery side of things. He’s been a serious home brewer for years, even growing his own hops at Jamberoo, and it has long been a dream to expand into commercial production.

The beer will be the first alcohol to be produced, along with ‘expressions of white spirits’ – gin or vodka to the layman. Before that there will be eggs, honey and produce from the garden. Given the time it takes to mature, the whisky will come later.

Lyntton is keen work with other distillers and brewers in the region to create a real destination. “No region does it really well in NSW as yet, compared to Tasmania and South Australia,” he says.

While their farm will offer a ‘paddock to the bottle’ experience, they are keen to stress the venture isn’t all about alcohol.

“We have been to a lot of distilleries and breweries that are just about the alcohol, but for us it is a small part of it. We are about being part of a collective of artisan producers and being part of the community,” says Jade.

“Hopefully we are creating a platform for others to use to develop their businesses.

“A big component of what we will do is education, everything from regenerative agriculture to artisans teaching their craft.”

Two windmills will help shape the identity

Brimming with ideas, she talks of having a shop for local artisans to showcase their products, being a family friendly destination with a nature playground and animals to pet, and finding other ways to interact with the community.

“Windmill Farm will be based on the three pillars of sustainability – the environment, the economy and community,” says Jade.

“Our biggest thing is community.”

While some councillors have expressed surprise that they didn’t know about the DA until it was approved, the Director Environmental Services Jessica Rippon says all due procedure was followed.

“The Mayor very specifically excluded himself from the process, and staff assessed it under delegation as a standard DA. There was no reason to bring it before Council as it was within staff delegations.”

To find out more, go to www.windmillfarm.com.au