| 41 Superb Herb HORTICULTURE T T Russell Fredric Automation future focus The company now produces 7 million units annually, grown in nine greenhouses on a 30 hectare site. Proudly Supporting gcunningham@kphtransport.co.nz 027 479 3760 Like many good ideas, Superb Herb was started by a man with a vision, based on the value of herbs for home chefs after Charles Pike returned from Europe in the late 1990’s. Now a great success story in the New Zealand horticulture industry, Superb Herb has grown since 2001 to employ 60 full time staff in Parakai near Helensville. Inspired by what he had seen in Europe, Charles vision was based around his father Jim already having a one hectare greenhouse in Henderson Valley, growing different types of vegetables. The company now produces 7 million units annually, grown in nine greenhouses on a 30 hectare site. Like many businesses these days, recruiting staff in a tight labour market is always a challenge, but general manager Brigitte de Cabissole says, unlike many horticulture operations the business is not seasonal, so it is ideal for the local community looking for full time work. French born, she has been working for the company for nine years. “I love selling our herbs, they bring taste to any food and joy to every cook. Our staff share the same passion. Ideally, we are looking for people who have horticulture experience but also who are keen to gain experience in the field; what we offer is a great team.” As well as employing local staff, Superb Herb qualifies for the Accredited Employers Work Visa scheme which streamlines the recruiting and employing of overseas workers. The company supplies numerous retailers including all the main supermarket chains and exports to Hong Kong twice weekly. Since its inception, it has continually invested in systems and technology that streamlines processes and creates efficiencies, starting in 2006 when it automated its seeding operation to enable greater control of its growing quality and yield. Moving to its present site in 2013 was followed by technological advancements, including the introduction of paper pots and investing in a thermoformer packing machine which made punnets from New Zealand recycled and recyclable PET1 polyethylene. In 2019 a new fully automated apex roof glasshouse covering 1.9 hectares was added and was the first of its kind in Australasia. “We have an amazing setup in Parakai now and that’s really the future of the operation. One person can move a lot of the product that’s in there, when in the old greenhouses it is much more labour intensive. The herbs are grown in a semi-hydroponic medium that is neither fully soil nor fully water and this enables very uniform growth. Starting the business in 2001 was good timing because of the emergence of celebrity chefs and television programmes such as Master Chef, Brigitte says. The herbs originally grown were Mediterranean types, such as basil, rosemary, sage oregano, parsley and thyme but that has now expanded to coriander, lemongrass and even curry leaves. Superb Herb has new owners from the start of this financial year who, along with the management team and like their predecessors, are looking at more exciting innovations and ongoing expansion. “The future for us is to introduce more automation which will allow us to grow more volume and offer larger pack of fresh herbs as this is the trend we are seeing. “We are also ramping up our microgreens operation as chefs are loving their burst of flavour and the great presentation.” “I love selling our herbs, they bring taste to any food and joy to every cook. Our staff share the same passion.”
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