When Sue Heward moved back to her family's Riverland orchard in 2016, she was the fourth generation to harvest its fruits and care for its land. Since then, she's founded Singing Magpie Produce, an artisinal food company which continues this tradition through fresh and sun-dried fruit production. We visited her and her family to shoot our Mother's Day Collection - aptly titled 'The Fruits of Your Labour' - and discussed what it means to be a mother, business woman, and custodian of the land upon which her family has lived and worked for over a century.

We met your lovely family at our shoot - there's a beautiful continuation and connection from generation to generation. Are there any special Mother's Day traditions you follow when celebrating?

I think Mother’s Day is about reflection on the past; being enormously grateful for the present and creating traditions for the future.

Home-made cards; a lunch that is simple, always delicious; but so there is time to spend with each other or time shared talking to each other (facetime or phone depending on where you are). I don’t think it has to be complicated, but I do think every day is a privilege and nothing should be taken for granted.

Tell us about your other child, your business. What it looked like when you were growing up compared to where it is now? Do you have any grand plans in the future you can share with us?

Singing Magpie Produce is absolutely my second child—one that's grown from our century-old family orchard into something I'm incredibly proud of. When I was growing up, this land was our family's traditional fruit farm, with those special Smyrna quince and fig trees my grandfather Jack planted back in 1921. I spent my childhood learning the rhythms of the seasons, doing the jobs and understanding the change of harvests, never imagining it would transform into what it is today.

Now, Singing Magpie Produce is maturing into a business that honours our heritage while creating something new. We've moved beyond just food as a commodity to creating premium sun-dried fruits and specialty products that showcase everything we produce on our orchard and across the Riverland. What brings me the most joy is seeing how our products connect with people across Australia, gracing their special occasions and becoming their favourite gifts to share. It’s such a privilege; we hand write people’s stories of love and send these with their giftboxes.

Looking ahead, I'm excited about expanding our space to create more from our region and with agri-tourism. I cherish the opportunity to becoming an ambassador for the Riverland region, helping to preserve, create and share these flavours, products, traditions, and connections for generations to come. For the first time, Singing Magpie Produce is opening its century-old orchard gates as part of the prestigious Tasting Australia Murray River experience (10 May). Nestled among the fragrant quince trees visitors will discover the heart of our tree-to-table philosophy. As the afternoon sun filters through the orchard canopy, guests will be welcomed by my father Frank, mother Ros, and myself to share stories of sustainable farming practices and the unique Riverland terroir that gives our fruits their exceptional character. The experience reaches its delicious crescendo as Georgia Roberts transforms our sun-ripened treasures into exquisite sweet and savory creations, allowing visitors to taste the connection between the sunburnt terroir, River Murray and the heritage fruits it nurtures. This intimate orchard gathering represents not just a tasting, but an invitation into the Singing Magpie Heward family story - where traditional methods, heritage fruit varieties, and a deep respect for the land come together in a foodie’s dream experience.

Reflecting on your journey/ or should we say juggle as a mother & a business owner (which we can deeply relate to) what are the most fulfilling & challenging aspects of motherhood so far?

I heard this said just today. “What advice would you give to your older self…..Live More Now”

This absolutely made me stop and think. Small business is such a constant hustle, you cannot take your finger off the pulse, because if you do there is no-one else going to do it for you. Singing Magpie Produce is my total passion, I could not imagine doing anything else at this stage of my professional career or life. But this comes with such sacrifice, and I feel time moves so quickly. It took me a while, but I learnt there must be non-negotiables. For example when it's school holidays I cannot work full time. I aim for half a day of solid work, half a day of doing something with Frankie. It could be cooking, getting out the house, doing a personal training session together. This has made school holidays so much easier for all of us.

As a mother you can’t control everything. Some things take time, some things happen when they are ready, no matter how much I want to force it otherwise. When I let the Universe take us on a journey instead of me trying to project manage it all, life is much easier.

Lastly trust your gut. Don’t doubt yourself on this one. I have learnt the hard way (just once), stand up when you need, shout to the ceiling if you need to defend your kids. Even if it’s a very un-popular opinion or perspective, your gut is always right.

Having seen your incredible 80 year old Fig Trees in your orchard, the connection of your family to the land is truly beautiful. We also relate to this and find it incredibly special and a honour to be a part of rural life. Do you feel a responsibility to the land to nurture and take care for future generations?

Oh my goodness without a doubt, it’s an enormous responsibility. Our 2025 harvest has yielded exceptional quality across our heritage varieties, including white Smyrna and black Genoa figs, and our prized Smyrna quinces - descendants from my grandfather's original trees that still produce fruit a century later. While our location in a fruit fly restricted region presents challenges for fresh distribution, we've transformed this limitation into an opportunity through our sun-drying expertise.

What distinguishes Singing Magpie Produce is our "tree-to-table" philosophy. We control every aspect of production—from nurturing heritage varieties using pesticide-free methods to perfecting traditional sun-drying techniques that intensify flavours while preserving nutritional integrity. Our sun-dried fruit showcases the distinctive characteristics of each variety: the honeyed sweetness of our white Smyrna figs, the delegate fragrance of our quinces, and rich intensity of black genoa figs.

On our compact four-hectare orchard, we've implemented a closed-loop system where nothing goes to waste. Fruit unsuitable for premium drying becomes preserves and syrups, prunings transform into mulch, our orchard strawberry (ground) clover is valued like gold and water is meticulously conserved through drip irrigation. This regenerative approach has allowed us to increase biodiversity while reducing our environmental footprint.

Our commitment extends beyond environmental stewardship to community impact. Our small-scale, labour-intensive approach provides meaningful employment for up to 20 Riverland community members throughout harvest and a smaller team of four for the remainder of the year, preserving traditional agricultural skills while creating economic opportunity in our rural community.

In a market dominated by imported dried fruits treated with preservatives and sulphites, our sun-dried fruit stands apart—modern expressions of Australian-grown heritage fruits, dried naturally under the Riverland sun. Each tells the story of our land, our sustainable practices, and our family's century-long commitment to quality and stewardship.

We laugh often at the things we now say, sounding so like our own Mum. Thinking back on the influence of your own mother or mother figures, what lessons or values do you carry forward into your own journey of motherhood?

Push through, never give up- some days are hard but set yourself a target and focus on this. Break things down to doable achievements. Try not to panic and you will get there.

There is always a way, there is always a solution - you just need to give yourself enough time to find it (and it might not be what you first expect).

Always be kind, always be fair, remember there is always two sides to every story.

Running a successful business and being a parent is incredibly hard work. How do you find special time for yourself - and what does that time look like? (If you actually ever get any!)

In 2020 just a couple of months after turning 50 and in the midst of COVID lock downs I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was utterly life changing. Not all things from a cancer journey are bad although there is no denying it was incredibly scary.

It makes you see the world in a different way. Every day is truly a privilege even for a Virgo workaholic like me. I do things on my own terms; I’m not like other food manufacturers- I don’t want massive expansion nor debt. I want sustainability; staying true to our values and level of quality, but it does take more time.

I’m learning to get better at my time- personal training, carving out time for our large kitchen garden because these things keep me sane. And getting away from the orchard, its sometimes difficult but so important to see a new horizon every now and then.

If you could write a letter to your children, reading this years from now, what would you want them to know about this season of your life?

How incredibly proud of them I am both Frankie and her sister Lily. How they me made me beam with joy and pride. They are truly beautiful smart woman that make the world a vastly better place to live.

How they helped me every step of the way. How they’re being made me fully understand love, how it made my heart so much stronger, braver.

How they helped me push through, never give up and to fight harder. It’s they’re very being that made me fight for what I though was fair, equitable and to shout out at what I thought was un-just even when it wasn’t always the popular local opinion.

I’m forever grateful.