Images: Renders of the Freestone Farm Stall. (Provided).
For five generations, the family behind Freestone Farm has grown produce and made wine in the Riverland, quietly supplying markets and major businesses around the world without ever selling directly to the public.
Now, the family is bringing two sides of its business together for the first time, with a farming business and winery Freestone Estate forming the new Freestone Farm brand at the Adelaide Central Market.
The new venue will bring seasonal produce, premium Riverland wines, house-made sorbets and a 24-seat bar together under one roof.
The family’s ancestors were German settlers who initially established themselves in the Barossa before moving to Waikerie, where their farming story began.
Today, the family is one of South Australia’s biggest farming operations, specialising in melons, almonds, garlic and pumpkins.
The idea for the market stall came after CEO Lucy Clements noticed how differently farms, vineyards, and cellar doors operate in Australia compared to Europe.
“I realised that in Europe, they don’t seperate vineyards, cellar doors and farms. They’ll sell tomatoes, olives and their wines all together,” she said.
“We’ve got a proud history of wholesaling, selling into markets and exporting, but we’ve never sold directly to customers.
“For four years, customers have been saying, ‘Where can we buy your stuff?’”
About 18 months ago, the family noticed the Central Market was undergoing its major expansion and saw an opportunity to finally create a retail arm of the business.
“We thought, well, we already sell to markets, why don’t we actually have a retail division?” Lucy said.
“We already do both, we do fruit and veg farming and we do vineyards and wine, but they’re separate businesses,” Lucy said.
“So I said, ‘Why don’t we combine them?’”
The result will be a produce-filled farm shop alongside a city cellar door, giving shoppers the chance to discover the family’s fruit, vegetables, pantry products and wines in one place.
The range will include house-made juices, ice creams and sorbets in flavours such as watermelon, rockmelon and orange, depending on what’s in season. There will also be pumpkin purées, garlic, olive oils, flavoured almonds, almond pastes, and honey.
“It’s going to be a rolling collection of really innovative products,” Lucy said.
“We’re a farming family, so produce is going to be a really big part of what we do.”
The wine side of the business is arguably an even bigger secret, with Lucy describing it as “one of South Australia’s biggest wineries”, operating largely behind the scenes.
“We’ve never had a branded offering,” Lucy said.
“We make wine for huge businesses all around the world, but no one has ever heard of us.”
Freestone Farm will change that, with the family selecting what Lucy calls the “crème de la crème” of its wines for the new range.
The collection includes premium Montepulciano, Fiano, field blends, organic Shiraz Cabernet, GSM, Chenin Blanc and Arneis, a northern Italian variety.
While the Riverland will remain at the heart of the offering, the range will also showcase wines from regions including the Barossa, Adelaide Hills and Tasmania.
And unlike a traditional market stall, shoppers will be able to sit down and enjoy the wine, too.
The new cellar door will feature a 24-seat bar serving wines, spritzes and Hugo cocktails, alongside cheese plates and almonds, bringing the cellar-door experience from the family’s Riverland property into the city.
A larger farm table will add another 18 seats and will be used for merchandise during the day before transforming after hours for events, Lucy said.
But behind all of it is something Lucy said the family has never really done before: told its own story.
“The family is very humble,” she said.
“We’ve just quietly gone about farming and making wine and doing our thing.”
The next generation is already coming through the business, too, with children and grandchildren working during school holidays and beginning to find their own place within the family operation.
“We’ve got this amazing story,” Lucy said.
“And now we get to tell it.”
Freestone Farm
When: November 2026
Where: Adelaide Central Markets
