A Taste of Paradise Organic farm is a Berry-based charity focused on supporting disadvantaged and at-risk young people.
Interacting with animals and a farm environment has proven life changing and healing impacts on vulnerable young people.
Cassie’s Story
When Cassie heard about coming to A Taste of Paradise Farm one morning a week, she didn’t know what to expect. She was very quiet and anxious about making another change in her life as she had been moved around many times into different care situations. Initially the care worker stayed with her, gradually giving her and the mentor more and more space as Cassie grew more familiar with the mentor and the farm.
Read Cassie’s Story…
Events
Come and say hello at some of our up-coming events.
Berry Farmers’ Market
Berry Farmers' Market, Berry Bowling Club car park, 140 Queen Street, Berry
Berry Farmers’ Market
Berry Farmers' Market, Berry Bowling Club car park, 140 Queen Street, Berry
Berry Farmers’ Market
Berry Farmers' Market, Berry Bowling Club car park, 140 Queen Street, Berry
What our partners are saying about our services
A Taste of Paradise farm near Berry has been doing incredible work with local disadvantaged and disillusioned youth since 1999.
As these young people take responsibility for their own actions and experience the rewards born of their own effort, they develop greater personal resilience, while learning practical agricultural skills.
I would like to congratulate Mr Tim Francis and his dedicated team for all of the work they have done for many years and continue to do to assist disadvantaged young people in our local communities.
I am extremely grateful that my son has had the opportunity to spend as many years as he has at your amazing farm. It has been a most wonderful experience for him, and words cannot express the extent of my true appreciation for the opportunity he has had, for being able to attend there.
He has learned so much from you and all your team, and his time spent with you all has really played a huge part in shaping him into the amazing young man he is growing up to be. Thankyou…
We have young people over the age of 12 years who participate in the mentoring program who look forward to their time at the farm each week. Thank you “A Taste of Paradise Farm” for providing an amazing and unique service for our vulnerable young people, we feel privileged to collaborate with you.
I have found that this program has enabled young people to develop skills, grow in confidence and overcome life challenges. Tim has always provided a safe and nurturing environment for the young people in his care. I believe that ‘A Taste of Paradise’ is an extremely valuable program for young people trying to overcome challenges and looking to establish themselves in life.
Our son attended ‘A Taste of Paradise Farm’ for over 5 years. The mentor program he attended each week enabled him to establish a long term relationships with Mentors that helped him achieve the academic success he couldn’t get elsewhere in school settings. ‘The Farm’ assisted him to set goals, create action plans, learn social skills, build trust, build his self-esteem, explore mental health issues, gain hands on experience in animal care and farm work. This provided him with the motivation and inspiration to participate in life. To a struggling young person in need of guidance and direction, ‘The Farm’ provided a safe haven for him to relax, learn and develop life skills.Thank you to Tim Francis and the Team whose dedication and tireless efforts went far above and beyond any program I have ever been a part of. The care and interest shown at ‘The Farm’ is a rare find and we will be eternally grateful for being part of such a fantastic program.
Thank you all.
‘A Taste of Paradise Farm’ has been an amazing opportunity for two particular young people that I support. They [the staff] have been more than flexible, friendly and transparent in their approach. Especially as a case manager through COVID-19 with limited resources to support the young people, they have always tried to make things work because they are passionate about the young people they work with. They have always had the goal around building meaningful relationships in order to achieve best outcomes.
With the young person I supported, he was disengaged from school and struggled to regulate his emotions and behaviour. Through the one-on-one mentoring he now attends school full-time and loves it. Through the use of the farm, the children are able to build self-worth, confidence and trust in others, which is absolutely what they need as they grow into young adults.
Would highly recommend this program and cannot speak highly enough of the work they have done to support the children I work with.
I am in awe of the work he does and the impact that this can have on the young people. In fact often their time at the Farm has represented one of the few positives that they may have had in their life and the positive impact that this has had is hard to truly convey.
The program has given my child a boost in self-esteem and confidence and I think to be able to trust, like they trust their mentor, in such a short time is a credit to the mentor and the program. As a mum and a carer, there are a lot of people involved in my child’s care, I go to so many meetings that are not great, it’s really lovely to go to the farm and be understood and on the same page. It makes me proud to be associated with A Taste of Paradise Farm.
I have worked for many years .. with troubled youth, who do not fit into the community/societal norms that most people expect. In particular, I have found it very difficult to broker rewarding services that cater for 1-1 mentoring for young adolescents with disabilities. I cannot praise Tim’s interactions with my clients enough. The work that Tim does with these vulnerable people is amazing.
Latest News
Conservation at Taste of Paradise Farm
At the heart of our mission as a charity lies a core value: "We will value and protect the biodiversity of our natural environment for future generations."A Taste of Paradise Farm, set [...]
A Job Well Done!
A Taste of Paradise has some fabulous supporters. The Berry Garden Club has over the years assisted us in purchasing 12 raised garden beds. These had been positioned so [...]
Outdoor kitchen progress
From concept to fruition of an idea takes time and this has been the case for our outdoor kitchen. However, we are now nearing the final stages of [...]
Open Mornings
It was a delight to be able to hold several open mornings recently. Tim always gives an inspiring talk to provide insight into how and why we [...]
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Our Virtual Tour of A Taste of Paradise Farm and Charity
If you are looking for a general introduction to the workings of our farm and charity work take a look at this video. It’s a great overview of what work goes on at the farm and how our philosophy of organic production and animal management provides a strong platform for disadvantaged kids to learn about trust and responsibility through our mentoring program.
The Farm on Village Vets
We are very proud of our association with Village Vets, the Foxtel Lifestyle show which follows two young local vets- Anthony and James. The Village Vets provide us with an invaluable service helping us when our animals are in need.
We jumped at the chance, when the shows producers asked if they could film the boys at A Taste of Paradise, helping with a difficult birth of a calf.