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Chicory: a cash crop of the 1800s
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CollectionKai, wai me te weu: Food water and fibre 2023
More InformationRead more about chicory farming at Trents in the 1870s
More InformationRead more about chicory farming at Trents in the 1870sAttribution
On the edge of the Selwyn border sits Trent’s Estate Vineyard in Templeton. Around 150 years ago, this was the site of a bustling chicory farm.
In 1866, Edwin Trent purchased 150 acres of land on what is now Trents Road. The ground was not suited to traditional farming, but the dry, sandy soil proved ideal for chicory. Employing up to 40 workers seasonally, the farm included drying kilns, root storage houses, machinery rooms and a warehouse. From here, the chicory root was transported to central Christchurch by horse and cart, where it was processed at Trent’s Steam Coffee Mills. Trent was the first person to grow chicory in Australasia. From 1866 until his death in 1883, he developed his operation into one of the most successful export businesses in Canterbury.
In 1866, Edwin Trent purchased 150 acres of land on what is now Trents Road. The ground was not suited to traditional farming, but the dry, sandy soil proved ideal for chicory. Employing up to 40 workers seasonally, the farm included drying kilns, root storage houses, machinery rooms and a warehouse. From here, the chicory root was transported to central Christchurch by horse and cart, where it was processed at Trent’s Steam Coffee Mills. Trent was the first person to grow chicory in Australasia. From 1866 until his death in 1883, he developed his operation into one of the most successful export businesses in Canterbury.
Image: Drawing of Trent's chicory farm, Templeton, c1870s.
Courtesy of Trent's Estate Vineyard.
Courtesy of Trent's Estate Vineyard.
Drawing of Trent’s chicory-drying kilns at the farm in Templeton. The original complex was destroyed by a fire in 1873, within a year Trent had not only rebuilt, but also expanded his operation.
Image courtesy of Trent’s Estate Vineyard.
Image courtesy of Trent’s Estate Vineyard.
Kei te whakaaturia
On display
On display
The story of chicory-growing at Trent's farm in Templeton.
Photographed by Michelle Sim.
Chicory is a flowering plant with a large root which, when dried, roasted, and ground, was used as a coffee substitute until instant coffee was invented in the 1960s. In colonial New Zealand, chicory and coffee essence was a popular hot drink, commonly mixed with sweetened condensed milk.
Image: An empty bottle of Trents essence of coffee and chicory, 1950s.
The thick, dark brown essence was once a pantry staple, used to flavour baking such as coffee cake. Photographed by Michelle Sim.
The thick, dark brown essence was once a pantry staple, used to flavour baking such as coffee cake. Photographed by Michelle Sim.
Chicory is a leafy, perennial herb with a long taproot, grown today mostly for medicinal purposes, or as animal fodder in drought-prone areas. Original root courtesy of Solleveld Produce, Masterton, modelled by Human Dynamo. A selection of Trent's spices on loan from Trent's Estate Vineyard.
Photographed by Michelle Sim.
Chicory: a cash crop of the 1800s. Selwyn Stories, accessed 19/03/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/5879
