Twenty-two years ago, to get out of the rat race in Cairns, they moved to Herberton and began the hydroponic enterprise which has grown every year to now include two production centres, the Carrington facility at Herberton with its hydroponic set-up and a $1.8 million packaging plant.

There is another production centre 20km away and 240m higher in elevation - where there is more sunshine - and there are four hectares of hydroponic tables covered by hail netting. The netting not only protects the produce from birds and other native fauna, but helps eliminate the damage caused by heavy rain as it stops its velocity.

To protect the plants from frost, when the temperature drops to 4deg C, a sprinkler system automatically begins misting the plants, and once the temperature drops to 0deg C, the water on the leaves freezes and protects the plant tissue. Then when the ice thaws, it leaves the leaves unharmed.

To ensure the fancy lettuce, Chinese vegetables and herbs reach the stores in prime condition, the pickers begin their shift at 4am and finish at 12.30pm. The produce is washed, cooled, packaged and stored at 2-4deg C.

The produce is delivered to the supermarket distribution centres and restaurants six days a week, and is on the retail shelf within 24 hours of picking. The chopped salad/ herb mix in small sealed containers has a shelf life of two to three weeks.

However, all that attention to detail and quality assurance doesn't come cheaply.

Just getting all the accreditation in place cost more than $1 million, and it costs thousands of dollars a year for inspections, tests, leaf analysis and audits.

Now, as the marketing outlets are already set up, the packaging plant is accredited and the distribution network is operating Roots and Shoots, it buys open ground-produced vegetables from local growers to fit into their system.