How this Italian Australian became Western Australia's 'spud king'

Tony Galati, Western Australia's long-reigning, self-named 'spud king', is a true 'Royal Blue'.

Tony Galati with his potatoes. Source: Tony Galati

Many may know Western Australia's Tony Galati as the thick-black-eyebrowed, navy-singlet man spruiking ads about cheap fresh produce for the fresh food market, Spudshed. But how did Galati become an inspiration for a musical and the loveable 'Perth-anality' who is willing to shave his famous facial features for charity?

Building a potato empire

Galati's parents were born in Italy's Sicily; his father from the country town of Tortorici, and his mother from the seaside city, Agrigento. Like many Italians in the 1950s, they arrived in Australia by boat searching for a better life. They soon called a five-acre property in Yangebup, a southern suburb of Perth in Western Australia, home. Here, they raised five children, with Galati the eldest of three boys and two girls, who developed a strong work ethic from an early age. 

"We grew beans, onions, tomatoes and, of course, potatoes," Galati tells SBS Food. "My dad worked as a sandblaster and painter during the day and would also make his wine, tomato sauce and sausages."

Tony Galati as a baby, held by his mum Carmela Galati. Source: Tony Galati

Before school, Galati and his brothers helped his parents in the family's market garden.

"We would water the potatoes, hand mix fertilisers, and handpick the crops as nothing was automated back then. I would go to school with jeans wet up to the knees and shoes that would be wet until midday most days from the morning garden work."

Potato crops in Myalup in the south west of Western Australia. Source: Tony Galati

When Galati reached his teens, he graduated to managing the family business finances. "I was a typical eldest son in an Italian family who would be responsible for the family after my dad." 

Then, in his late teens, Galati took a different career direction. "I drove my dad's truck for six months, became a Coles fruit and vegetable manager and then a purchasing officer. I soon got involved in the wholesale fruit and vegetable markets for around four years."

But Galati soon felt a calling back to the land to grow and pursued a career in harvesting food. 

"Farming was steeped in my Sicilian roots and heritage," Galati says.

Farming was steeped in my Sicilian roots and heritage.

After realising this, Galati and other family members bought land in Wattleup and Baldivis, and began an independent growers market that they called Spudshed in 1998. Since then, the company has continued to thrive, with family members across two generations contributing to its success. 

"Our family is incredibly lucky as all my siblings, their children, and my own have worked or continue to work in the family business."

Tony Galati and his brother Vince along with Tony's sons Frankie (now CEO of the Spudshed) and Sebastian (the purchasing manager.) Source: Tony Galati

However, the family business was not without its hurdles. The so-called 'spud king' was in a decades-long campaign against Western Australia's now-defunct potato corporation. The disagreements focused on Galati growing more potatoes than he was permitted. In a controversial move at the time, Galati gave away his carby-gold for free in retaliation against the state's archaic regulations. But in 2016, the state's great potato war ended – Western Australia's potato corporation was put to bed. 

These days, Galati urges people to support local growers and understand where their food comes from.

"There is a demand for all-year-round fruit, which sees many imported products flooding the market. But if we accept that all fruit is seasonal, there wouldn't be so much cold storage of fruit like apples and importing of oranges, stone fruit and grapes from overseas," he says.

"We are so lucky in Australia to have all the elements to grow various fresh produce all year round. Our fertilisers and chemicals are stringently selected, and there we have a strong focus on natural herbicides where possible." 

Galati also stresses the importance of knowing where your food waste goes.

"I have always hated seeing food wasted, and in our business, waste from the farms and shops is fed to the cattle. We also try to be as vertically integrated as possible, producing our own eggs, farming beef, and our farmed fruit and vegetables." 

Although his stance on potatoes and wastage may have been controversial in the past, the 'spud king' continues to take a bold stance. In this case, anointing his favourite potato. "It has to be a Royal Blue potato. The oval-shaped potato is a perfect all-rounder for cooking with its purple skin and yellow flesh."

Craving a hot potato now? We thought so.

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