24 | Jackson Orchards: Calder Stewart Russell Fredric Packhouse to cater for growth The original Jackson Orchards packhouse in full swing in 1978. DEVELOPMENT Building strong partnerships Proud to be working with Jackson Orchards on their packhouse extension. architects 03 442 8709 | www.wyattgrayarchitects.nz hawkservices.co.nz | 022 1406 717 Proud to support Jackson's Orchard and other local businesses • Industrial/Commercial Electricians • Electrical Inspectors • Fire Alarms • Building Warrants Plumbers, Gas fitters & Drainlayers Phone: 021 382 586 Email: admin@notjustplumbing.co.nz L I M I T E D Kevin Jackson admits running an orchard can be hard work, but at 80 years of age he still loves what he does. The owner of Jackson Orchards, Cromwell, he looks forward to the start of each season but concedes he is also happy to see the end in sight too. “We do have a long season; we start harvesting cherries mid-November and we don’t wind up until mid-May with pip fruit.” The business runs from two blocks totalling 40 hectares. The main orchard is located on State Highway 6 just outside of Cromwell while the smaller Freeway Orchard borders the town. In addition to its traditional operation, Jackson Orchards has on-site retail outlets and an online business. With the company’s first orchard being established in the now lake-flooded Cromwell Gorge in 1969, Kevin has seen a lot of change. This change has never stopped, whether it relates to new fruit varieties, improved horticultural practices, technology or infrastructure. “We started planting this orchard back in 1989 which was the year we had to move out from Cromwell Gorge and it was bare farm land. Fruit trees increase the tonnage per hectare year-by-year depending on the age of the tree.” To cope with the increasing tonnage, along with the space taken by the installation of a Maf Roda robotic grader in 2016, the company is making a considerable investment in the construction of a new packhouse in its main orchard, due for completion early December. “Basically what we’ve done is to build a repeat floor plan to what was already there so we’re doubling the size of the building.” Started in June, the new packhouse is being built by Calder Stewart. It was important to Kevin to engage a company that had the track record and resources to complete the building in a challenging construction market and especially for the time-critical start of the summer harvest season. He has never forgotten that, during the construction of the orchard’s original packhouse in 1989, there was a truck driver’s strike which stopped the transport of laminated timber beams from the North Island. Undeterred, Calder Stewart circumvented this by purchasing a truck and having their own driver deliver the beams which enabled the packhouse to be completed on time. The interior timber beams which support the roof and walls are part of the packhouse’s design which replicates the existing one. It has a curved-edge roof and light domes on the roof and incorporates plywood lining on the interior of the roof and walls. From inside, the effect is almost cathedral-like. “We decided to retain the architecture of the original building. The main reason we’ve used the laminated beams is it’s quite attractive visually and because we’re on the tourist route it’s created a lot of interest; mainly tradespeople have heard of it and want to look at it. “Architects, especially from other countries, will come in and they’ll spend an hour on-site looking at it and taking photos. It’s a bit different to a normal farm building.” Jackson Orchards employs 18 permanent staff and around 100 during the harvest peak. It carries more than 100 varieties of fruit grown on 115,000 trees which produce 1500 to 2000 tonnes annually. Due to their location being close to Cromwell and easy access off two state highways, the orchards are fortunate to have a good pool of labour to draw from, including mothers with school children outside of the summer holidays. During the peak harvest, seasonal workers include school and university students, backpackers, retirees and others. Some have been coming for decades and Kiwis make up about 60% of the total workforce.
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