| 55 HORTICULTURE Berry Farms NZ (RD8 Fresh Produce) “We’re very focussed on quality throughout the growing, harvesting and processing phases of production.” Looking forward to the season ahead Growing wholesome, healthy, delicious berries, including blackberries cultivated in tunnels, is something Berry Farms NZ Ltd, is extremely committed to. T T Sue Russell It was a relatively quiet time in the rhythm of the year’s berry growing activities when Business Central spoke with Hawkes Baybased Johnny Milmine, General Manager of Berry Farms NZ Ltd. With the harvesting of the strawberries, raspberries and blackberries completed in June, the following three months are about resetting the plants, pruning any plants that require attention and getting ready to establish new plants. It also provides an opportunity to check over infrastructure and equipment, in preparation for the next growing season. “Once the season is fully underway, its very full-on for the team, so its important to have a break at this time of the year.” Having now fully recovered from the destruction Cyclone Gabrielle brought to the company’s Astill Farm, near Hastings, Johnny says everyone is looking forward to the season ahead. “We had a very positive and high quality harvest in 2024-25 and it was wonderful to have Astill Farm fully reinstated and producing its first crops since the cyclone, so we’re looking forward to another productive season ahead, both at the Astill Farm and the Bay View Farm, north of Napier.” It was almost as though the weather-gods understood that growers deserved a positive season, with outstanding results in both quality and quantity yielded. This year, Johnny says that with quite dry conditions and cooler temperatures, the growing season is running a couple of weeks behind. Growing wholesome, healthy, delicious berries, including blackberries cultivated in tunnels, is something Berry Farms NZ Ltd, is extremely committed to and very proud to achieve. Aiming to supply the market all years round is a responsibility taken seriously. “The cost of good quality food for consumers is something we have concerns about. We know what we produce is extremely nutritious and our harvesting, packing and storage systems aim to deliver the fruit in top condition.” The company is part of RD8 Fresh Produce Group. It’s sister business, The Fresh Berry Company, has the New Zealand license to grow and supply Driscolls genetics to its growers, of which Berry Farms NZ is one. “The Fresh Berry Company is focussing on expansion and more nursery spaces, to meet demand for our berries and secure volumes well into the future.” At both the Hastings and Napier sites, berries are grown in substrate and in tunnels, which allows for a much longer growing season. “We’re growing for nine months of the year which is wonderful in terms of providing good volumes to local and overseas markets.” The Fresh Berry Company is in the process of building, with significant investment, a high health foundation nursery and a commercial grow-out nursery which will supply plants annually to all our New Zealand growers, of which Berry Farms NZ is one. The business prides itself on innovation, as shown with the introduction of a robot at the Astill Farm, used for weed spraying and mowing. www.agovor.com “It has paid for itself in labour savings and we were able to redeploy staff who would have been spraying, in other parts of the business, such as quality checks, so it’s a win-win.” With a good season’s growing expected and the return soon of the locals, back-packers and RSE workers, Johnny says they’re excited to see what the new season has instore and what will be produced. “We’re very focussed on quality throughout the growing, harvesting and processing phases of production. Every care is taken to ensure the fruit reaches its destination in top condition month after month.”
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