NICK Diamantopoulos' passion for garlic started more than two decades ago as a backyard hobby.

But at the time he had no idea it would grow to become much more.

Today, Mr Diamantopoulos is the Australian Garlic Producers (AGP) chief executive, operates eight farms and distributes garlic to supermarket shelves across the country.

His main crop is grown in the heart of Sunraysia, across 250 hecta...