In just over 15 years Maureen and Colin Binns have gone from raw novices to truffle experts.

Now the couple, who own Te Puke Truffles, are moving on, heading down country to be closer to family.

But it’s been quite a journey.

Colin and Maureen began creating their truffiere - a grove of trees where truffles are cultivated - in 2008. In 2015 they harvested their first Black Perigord truffles.

Their half-hectare truffiere was treated with 70 tonnes of lime and planted with 212 oak and hazelnut trees “infected” with Black Perigord spores in October 2008.

Before deciding truffles would be their future, the couple bought some sheep, chickens and cayuga ducks.

“We started becoming farmers. We had five paddocks, plus an area where we made an olive grove. The animals were good but we were thinking we really wanted to grow things,” says Maureen.

“We looked at ginko but we both agreed not to do avos or kiwifruit.”

They then saw an article about a Rotorua-based enterprise looking for investment - involving the planting of thousands of trees to start a truffiere.

“That started our interest in truffles.

“But I said if we are going to do anything with truffles we are going to do all the reading and research, we are going to visit somebody who’s growing them and see if it’s still something we wanted to do.”

They did - and it was.

On the hunt - truffle dog Jed. Photo / Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services.

While their 2015 harvest consisted of two truffles from 212 trees - such is the nature of the beast that they may not have actually been the first.

“When you try to do something that’s new and the product of it is underground, and you don’t actually know what you’re looking for anyway - even if you’ve got all your things in line, are you going to find your gold?”

Maureen photographed everything that could possibly be a truffle and sent the pictures to their mentor in Western Australia.

“The other thing I’m aware of now is that oak trees have much deeper roots and I’m only going to go down so far - I’m not going to go down a metre. If a tree wants to grow a truffle a metre down it can keep the truffle and re-innoculate the roots around it.”

At that stage they didn’t have their own truffle dog so were relying on someone else.

“We were just hiring someone with a dog and she lived in Nelson and would tell us when she was doing a quick trip round the North Island so she wasn’t necessarily here when there was a ripe truffle.”

A decade ago they solved that problem and got Jed the truffle dog.

“He’s part of the furniture - and he’s very very good.”

He also has an apprentice - Sam.

The truffiere continues to develop and this season two trees that have never before produced have borne truffles.

“We’ve now only got about 18 trees out of all the trees we’ve planted that have not, to our knowledge, produced a truffle.”

The truffles have been sold to restaurants across the country, sold privately, used in beer and incorporated into a range of products by Maureen including oil, icecream, butter and truffle salt.

The couple also host truffle hunts for Kiwis and overseas visitors, including cruise ship passengers.

“Most European people and Asian people are so knowledgeable about truffles and really love what we are doing. With most New Zealanders, its actually an introduction.”

Maureen still has her enthusiasm.

“It’s just fantastic, it’s fascinating, and probably the highlight for us is actually sharing - sharing with members of the public, sharing with other people who are interested in growing truffles.

“And through sharing information we’ve worked alongside a lot of fabulous chefs, particularly in recent years in the Tauranga area and I’ve shared everything I’ve learned about truffles and they’ve come become friends.”

Maureen Binns with some of her truffle based goodies. Photo / Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services.

But Maureen and Colin have decided it’s time to move on and let someone else take over.

“We are both in good health, but if anything happened to either of us, there is no family support around. When Colin said it was getting a bit much, I said, ‘if anything happens to you health-wise, I can’t run this’.”

Maureen moved to the Bay of Plenty from the Hutt Valley to be with Colin.

“Colin has lived all around NZ and Australia, so doesn’t really have a home. Hutt Valley is my home.”

They are moving to a 0.4ha property in Levin.

“I’m taking 100 plants with me and Colin will have a glass house - he loves growing chillies and loves growing everything from seed.”

“I’m going to zip down to Wellington and watch my grandchildren play hockey and my granddaughter cheerleading. There will be lots more family time without the seven-hour drive.”

She says they will not lose the friendships they have made through their enterprise.

And they are still likely to have truffles as part of their life whether it is visiting truffieres with Jed to find truffles or passing on their expertise.

“If people want us to go and check or even host truffle tastings, we could do that because the people aspect is what I like best.”

She also hopes to be able to freeze some of his season’s truffles to continue to make her various products.

“It’s been a huge learning curve and a huge adventure. You wouldn’t want to rely on the income from deciding to grow truffles.

“But we’ve loved it, absolutely loved it.”

-Te Puke Times.