US (NH): New Zealand farmer starts aquaponics business in Londonderry
He settled in Massachusetts, working as a parking lot manager and landscape contractor before finding a career with Apple Computers. He met his late wife in Massachusetts and they married.
Williams and his son, Gavin, began experimenting with aquaponics in their home. “It seemed like an interesting thing to do, to grow plants and fish together,” he said. When Steve Jobs died and other changes came to the computer industry, Williams decided he’d “had enough of corporate life,” and went full-time into aquaponics, buying a parcel of land in Londonderry. He moved to New Hampshire five years ago. Today, they run Victory Aquaponics.
Williams and his son also want to help homeowners learn the basics of installing small aquaponics systems at their homes. There are kits out there, some good, some not so good, according to Williams, and he and Gavin are happy to share their expertise. “We may be offering classes soon,” he said, adding that the main concern for home systems is keeping the Ph balanced. “Keeping it at 6.5 is a good balance, it’s what the fish need and what the plants need,” he said.
While New Hampshire has warmed to the idea of aquaponics, there have been personal challenges, Williams said. In the winter of 2015, Winter storm Juno collapsed his roof, and he and Gavin rebuilt the building themselves. “We were out of commission for a year,” Williams said. But they believed in their idea, and gradually reopened.
He sees a future for aquaponics in New Hampshire, noting that people are more interested in locally grown food.
And for now though they have no formal store as yet, he said, “If someone comes in and wants a lettuce, we’ll sell them a lettuce.”
Read more at NewHampshire.com (Kathleen D. Bailey)