Business Central July 2021

| 65 HORTICULTURE Willowford Alma Alta Orchard New apple varieties bring sweet taste of success T Kelly Deeks The partnership has grown from producing the equivalent of 30,000 cartons annually at 18kgs a carton, up to 110,000 cartons now. W hen Hawke’s Bay orchardists Phil and Kirsty Greer were struggling to make a living from commodity apple varieties 20 years ago they were faced with a stark choice - look for another variety, or go broke. “I tasted the new Jazz variety and I knew straight away it was a winner,” says Phil. “It was too good an opportunity to walk away from, so we invested everything we had into growing Jazz apples. “We had seven years of losses while we developed Jazz, and everybody thought we were nuts. “But we knew the apple was so good, and we knew ENZA would make it into something great on the world market.” Jazz got Phil and Kirsty’s Willowford Alma Alta Orchard in Twyford going, then along came Envy. Pitched as the follow-up to Jazz, Envy is bigger and redder, with the same high flesh pressure to generate crunch as Jazz, and the same high brix sugar levels to give full flavour. By 2016, all of Willowford Alma Alta’s new plantings were Envy. Phil and Kirsty grow under license to Turn- ers and Growers, which purchased ENZA in 2002. “We have stuck with Turners and Growers right through the tough times, the reason be- ing ENZA was a strong brand that had stigma,” Phil says. “Some people went away from them, but with them having Jazz and Envy, we have been 100% loyal to them right the way through.” Phil has been orcharding on the Alma Alta block for more than 45 years, and says he knows just about every tree by name. Initially he worked for another grower, and a lot of hard work brought him to purchase his first piece of land in Taradale at age 24, where he planted 10 acres of apples by hand. In 1990 he sold the Taradale block to buy Alma Alta, and in 2001 formed a partnership with Kirsty with her parents’ Willowford block, also in Twyford. “It’s probably the best growing area in the Hawke’s Bay, particularly for apples.” In 20 years, the partnership has grown from producing the equivalent of 30,000 cartons annually at 18kgs a carton, up to 110,000 cartons now. Once the whole orchard is planted, with a few young blocks coming up, production should peak at 130,000 cartons. Willowford Alma Alta has made a name for itself amongst the backpacking fraternity, where it is known around the world to be a great employer providing a great environment to work and live in. Kirsty and Phil anticipated the labour issues they would be facing in the 2021 season from Covid-19, so they advertised anywhere and everywhere they could think of and ended up with a higher percentage of university students than they would traditionally employ for harvest. They also had some RSE workers, locals, and some of the backpackers who still remain in New Zealand. Now nearing the end of their orcharding lives, Kirsty and Phil are sticking with the varie- ties they’ve got, which they say are going to be hard to beat. 1108 Omahu Road, Hastings 4175 P 06 281 2702 E omahuautomotive@gmail.com • Car Servicing • Warrant of Fitness • Cambelt and Timing Belt • Fleet Servicing • Brake Repairs & Service • Car Battery AUTO SUPER SHOPPE OMAHU PROUD TOSUPPORT WILLOWFORD ALMAALTAORCHARD We’re New Zealand’s trustedmechanics Fibreglass Repairs ∙ General Mouldings Industrial Mouldings 06 879 7804 | concordfibreglass@xtra.co.nz www.concordfibreglass.co.nz | 1024 Omahu Rd, Hastings Find us on Facebook and Instagram Proudly supporting Willowford Alma Alta Orchard l i ill l l “We had seven years of losses while we developed Jazz, and everybody thought we were nuts. But we knew the apple was so good, and we knew ENZA would make it into something great on the world market.” Talk to us today, the feature profile experts Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz PROFILE YOUR PROJECT...