Business Central December 2021

62 | HORTICULTURE Berry Farms NZ Focus on growing beautiful berries Sue Russell Bay View Farm (north of Napier) is split into 5ha raspberries, 3ha strawberries and 1ha blueberries. Customised Solutions For All Your Spraying Needs SHOP ONLINE SPRAYSHOP.NZ C Napier & Hasting Stores 06 842 0047 www.thinkwater.co.nz/hawkes-bay hawkesbay@thinkwater.co.nz Hawkes Bay 818 Caroline Rd, Hastings 06 878 7000 sales@grocom.co.nz Open 7 days - Mon-Fri: 8am-4.30pm - Sat: 8am-4pm - Sun: 9am-3pm Specialist potting mixes & Growing media Barks • Compost & Soils • Stone & Aggregates Sands • Potting Mix • Landscape Supplies Proud supplier to Berry Farms NZ H astings based berry growing business Berry Farms NZ (BFNZ) is part of RD8 Fresh Produce Group, established by Craig Hall and Dean Astill. BFNZ, established in 2016, concentrates solely on growing beautiful berries to meet both local and export demand. Johnny Milmine has been with Berry Farms NZ in his role as General Manager since May last year. While Raspberries and Blackberries are cur- rently grown only for domestic consumption, Strawberries and Blueberries are grown for both domestic and export. “All of our berries are grown in substrate located in tunnel houses. This allows for pre- cise horticultural management to ensure our plants maximise their potential yield, quality, taste, ease of harvest, and overall health “ says Johnny. The operation is located over three sites. At Te Mata, Havelock North, 1.5ha is grown solely in blackberries while at Astill Farm, Hastings raspberries are grown on a 5ha plot. Bay View Farm (north of Napier) is split into 5ha rasp- berries, 3ha strawberries and 1ha blueberry. Plans, grounded in a 10 year strategic plan, are for the business to grow bigger. There’s a strong rhythm and flow to the yearly cycle, with picking starting with straw- berries and blueberries in late August, with raspberries following in late October. There are two peaks in November/December and February/March. Harvest finishes usually in June. Johnny says that there are critical aspects to growing berry fruit successfully. “You have to ensure they have secure ac- cess to water along with the highly secret feed rcipes included and keep on top of picking once the season gets underway. “Growing in substrate is different to all other farming types as we have no benefit from rain and the coir has very little water holding abilitly. ” Berry Farms NZ employs directly kiwis and backpackers; and has a contractor that supple- ments them with RSE workers from the Pacific Islands. On a permanent full-time basis it employs up to a team of 12, maintaining care of the plants through the growing phase. Once pick- ing gets underway at the height of the season, over 200 pickers are employed, working to a ratio of 10 pickers/ha plus supervisors and packers. With the impact of COVID on the number of available RSE workers and backpackers, Johnny says they are interested in hearing from anyone who would like to work through the busy picking season. “While the Government is allowing reduced numbers of RSE workers, we are also reliant on backpackers. While we expect to be able to fill our picking needs, we aren’t necessarily able to access the people who are most efficient at picking.” RSE workers are engaged through a third-party contractor who are responsible for ensuring all the necessary standards of pastoral care are upheld while working in New Zealand. When Business Central caught up with Johnny they were half-way through their win- ter pruning and general maintenance work on the tunnels, which are imported from a UK based company. Johnny says having a long picking season plays in their favour as local pickers and visitors alike enjoy knowing they have got employment for upward of 8+ months. “Given this we do get a lot of returnees each year which works really well for us and them, as they understand what is involved and our expectations as to standards of work. “Working in tunnels also means we are not affected but poor weather conditions so they have certainly of hours. Building the team cul- ture has been our focus over the past year, we spend a lot of time together so it is extremely important to have fun while working.” Having been raised on a pip and stone-fruit orchard, followed by twenty years in the wine industry, Johnny says he is enjoying the chal- lenges that come with growing berries and developing the business. “We’re about growing a premium product and that requires attention to detail and close management. Our aim is to produce the highest quality New Zealand grown berries to give the consumer trust in our brand and to ensure they have the best possible experience eating our fruit. All of the berries grown are Driscoll’s ge- netics and are sold under the Driscoll’s label, through BFNZ sister company The Fresh Berry Company. “We do get a lot of returnees each year which works really well for us and them, as they understand what is involved and our expectations as to standards of work.”