How Aleks and Karina Berzins Juggle Their Business, Exeter Plumbing + Their Passion For Traditional Farming

Even been to a horse stud?

We hadn’t either until we were invited by Erin and Chris of Community Bank BDCU to join them at Marlie Draught Horse Stud in Exeter for a tour and a catch-up with owners, Aleks and Karina Berzins, who also own Exeter Plumbing. 

So we pulled on the gumboots [thanks La Nina!] and called in for a chat!

The first person we met was Chelsea who was rounding up her brood of chickens with the absolute confidence of a country kid. Gorgeous! 

Then came Zoe in tow, clutching a somewhat disgruntled farm cat, and little Ava following along behind, all pigtails and dirty knees – love it! 

Their parents, Aleks and Karina are just as charming, with easy smiles that you only find in the country. 

Greetings are exchanged, weather is discussed [hey, at least it’s knocked off you-know-what as the main topic of conversation!] and we start wandering around the property as we chat.

photo: Iceblink Creative

1 :: Aleks, you started Exeter Plumbing in 2013 and it’s really grown, hasn’t it? 

That’s right. After a number of years of extensive experience and training in the plumbing industry, I decided to start Exeter Plumbing. 

Now, we have a team of seven servicing the Southern Highlands and surrounding areas, thanks to Kurt coming on board.

2 :: We often see the Exeter Plumbing vehicles locally – you guys must be pretty busy.

We offer our services seven days a week, 24 hours a day and don’t charge a callout fee during business hours so that’s probably got something to do with it.

It’s how we like it, though. 

And it’s the success of Exeter Plumbing that help Karina and myself keep the history of traditional farming alive here at Marlie Draught Horse Stud.

photo: Iceblink Creative

3 :: So, this is really interesting…..tell us about the history of Marlie Draught Horse Stud.

Aleks :: Marlie Draught Horse Stud was established in 1973 in Putty NSW by my grandfather, Sid Samuel. My grandfather and grandmother moved the farm to Exeter in 1983, where it is today. 

I grew up in the Highlands, and always had an interest in horses thanks to spending a lot of time with Pop when I was young. 

Karina :: At different stages Aleks lived on the farm as a kid, so he’d follow his Pop around a lot when he was tending to the horses.

We took the stud over about ten years ago.

Aleks :: And have been continuing on Pop’s legacy here ever since.

photo: Iceblink Creative

4 :: What are the draught horses bred for? 

Aleks :: They’re working horses. We’re passionate about farming with horses at Marlie Stud and compete in working horse events, such as ploughing and draught horse pull competitions across NSW. 

Karina :: We breed horses for all forms of harness work as well as part-bred horses for performance needs.

5 :: So why horses instead of machinery?

Aleks :: It’s for the love of the horses of course, but it’s also a different approach to organic farming, which is having a bit of a resurgence at the moment. 

We’re pretty much as organic as you can get – we’re not using tractors to spray the ground, we’re turning it over with horse-drawn ploughs. 

Karina :: It’s a love for that style of farming that drives us, and it’s a lifestyle too. You wouldn’t be able to do it on a commercial scale, but for what we do it’s perfect.

Aleks :: Also, we don’t have to worry about a flat battery in the tractor when you jump on!

photo: Iceblink Creative

4 :: It’s been the growth of Exeter Plumbing that has allowed you to keep the legacy of traditional farming at Marlie Draught Horse Stud alive.

What has helped it go from strength to strength?

Aleks :: Obviously, the population growth as more people move to the Highlands has helped but we also provide fantastic customer service, experienced and local plumbers who get the job done, and as we mentioned before, we’re available 24/7 for callouts. 

But one of the best moves we made was to make the switch to BDCU to help us with our banking needs.

Small business finance and rural lending can be very tricky and most of the big banks don’t offer it at all which is what we discovered when we were looking at finance options.

5 :: Erin and Chris, how did you guys at BDCU help Aleks and Karina with that?

Erin :: Aleks and Karina run a small local business AND also work on their passion project on their rural property. 

They don’t exactly fit into any of the ‘boxes’ many other banks and lenders like their customers to fit into which can make lending a little tricky for families like theirs. 

Chris :: And Aleks is right. 

Most banks don’t offer rural lending at all, or they don’t offer it over a certain land size.

BDCU can do up to 50 hectares at normal lending loan to value ratio – we can go up to 80% on that.

If the land size is over 50 hectares, we can still lend on it, although the loan to value ratio drops. 

So many banks don’t even touch rural lending which can impact the potential and growth of local and rural businesses, so it’s great to be able to help these guys. 

And we look at the WHOLE picture.

It’s been the success of Exeter Plumbing that has allowed Aleks and Karina to invest in their Marlie Draught Horse Stud dream.

We understand that connection and truly understand what Aleks and Karina want to achieve. 

Erin :: It helps to understand the passion behind the financial objectives. These guys aren’t just names on a piece of paper to us.

photo: Iceblink Creative

6 :: We’re imagining that rolling up in your gumboots and visiting the farm makes a difference too? 

Erin :: Yep, we actually visit our clients’ properties and get to know the business, the property and the people behind that. 

We know your kids’ names, your dog’s name, you’re in our contacts list on our mobile phones…

And we also know who to call if we have a plumbing emergency in the middle of the night! 

Chris :: If Aleks or Karina calls my mobile, I answer knowing exactly who it is.

I’ve been out to the property, I’ve got a good understanding of what their goals are, so when they ring me with a request, I know enough about their situation to help them with what they need, and we can get the ball rolling immediately.

It’s not a faceless service.

photo: Iceblink Creative

7 :: And how has that been for you, Aleks and Karina?

Aleks :: Honestly, we’d almost given up on trying to find a bank that understood us as a family, our property, Exeter Plumbing, Marlie Draught Horse Stud and how that all translated into what we were trying to achieve. 

My dad told me not to give up and the next day I walked into the BDCU Moss Vale branch…and here we are!

Karina :: Just being able to call Chris and she knows who’s on the phone straight away is great.

We know everyone in the branch. 

They make what can be an overwhelming part of our business and life very simple thanks to their approach and understanding of what we do.

photo: Iceblink Creative

8 :: Erin and Chris, when you combine Exeter Plumbing with Marlie Draught Horse Stud, it isn’t exactly a run-of-the-mill customer, is it?  

Erin :: No, it’s not but that’s what’s great about working in the Southern Highlands with people like Aleks and Karina. 

You get to work with a diverse range of families and businesses who need various financial support, guidance and advice. 

Chris :: BDCU recognise your business, your financial situation and your property might not necessarily fit into “a box”. 

We make assessments and provide support based on the individual, their needs and their financial situation.

We’re the ones making the decisions too, and that’s important for the decision makers to be close to the detail and the story BEHIND the detail.

That’s really important and empowering for both us AND the client.

photo: Iceblink Creative

9 :: So, what’s next for Exeter Plumbing and Marlie Draught Horse Stud? 

Aleks :: We’re keen to keep growing Exeter Plumbing which means helping more local families and also employing more locals – that’s really important to us. 

Karina :: As for Marlie Draught Horse Stud, we’ve noticed people have become very interested in minimising the impact they have on the environment across many industries, but especially farming in recent years, so we’re keen to keep educating people about how draught horses can help with that. 

Aleks :: Keeping the history of farming with horses alive and continuing Pop’s legacy allows us to do that. 

And we love it.

photo: Iceblink Creative

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This article was proudly brought to you by the supportive team at Community Bank BDCU sharing the inspiring stories of locals doing amazing things.

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