68 | Positive outlook for autumn picking Hoddys Fruit Company, based in Hope, in the sunny Nelson region, has been in the business of growing a variety of sweet and crunchy apples since 1915 PRODUCTION Hoddys Fruit Company T T Richard Loader “The system produces great yields and wonderful fruit quality, and lends itself to greater mechanisation. Proudly a fourth-generation orcharding enterprise, Hoddys Fruit Company, based in Hope, in the sunny Nelson region, has been in the business of growing a variety of sweet and crunchy apples since 1915. Orchard production manager Canaan Black knows the secret to the brand’s success over successive generations has always been to never compromise on quality, to remain innovative and future-focused, and to dispense the very best of care into its apple-production systems, and its people. In December, Canaan was hoping there would be more ‘liquid gold’ falling from the sky. That time of the year is relatively steady, he says, with fruit growing on the trees in need of thinning to the desired crop load. It offered him and the core of permanent staff time to undertake repairs and maintenance of the pack house. “We are packing a little bit of fruit for the local market; however, this time gives us the chance to have all our plant checked over in readiness for the height of the picking and packing season in autumn.” Picking actually gets underway mid- to late February, and depending on how much fruit they process for other growers, the number of staff employed at this time almost doubles. The 45-hectare orchard only grows apples, marketing them both locally and overseas. “About 30% of our crop is sold to New Zealand customers. “We grow about half a dozen different varieties, but the main stays are Royal Gala and strains of that, along with Granny Smith, Braeburn and Pink Lady.” Canaan says he has a good feeling the upcoming season will be very positive with very warm conditions. T he usual pick from its own orchard fills 10,000 bins. Older trees are replaced from time to time, to maintain high production volumes across the whole orchard. Approximately two hectares are replaced every two years. Growing for the local market is something Canaan says they all enjoy, given freight costs are less and there’s a shorter time-span between picking, packing and stocking the supermarket shelves. Hoddys Fruit Company operates its own in-house domestic marketing team, while the exporting of the fruit is left in the hands of its parent company RD8 Ltd. The way trees are grown has changed considerably since the early days, with apples now produced using a 2D eight wire system. “This means the trees grow towards each other, making picking much more efficient, with the fruit far more accessible for our pickers,” Canaan says. “The system produces great yields and wonderful fruit quality, and lends itself to greater mechanisation. “Given good care, a tree can easily produce apples for 15-20 years.” Standing on ladders is becoming a thing of the past for pickers, with fruit today picked manually from platforms and by a ground crew. At peak, the orchard employs 45 pickers, in four crews, while around 80 people are engaged in the packing process for approximately four months. The bulk of new apple trees are supplied by Waimea Nursery, and Canaan says that one of his responsibilities is to keep a weather-watch on trends overseas for particular types of apples. “Typically, a lot of New Zealand apples used to be more driven by European tastes; however, we’ve seen a trend towards more sweeter apples, especially from the Asian countries.” With a commitment to growing great fruit, Canaan also acknowledges that the sector has its challenges; at the mercy of the weather gods and ongoing increases in the cost of production. “There’s also a lot of compliance over the orcharding industry; however, it’s also fair to say that growers, by nature, are optimistic people, with a No. 8-wire attitude.” Hoddys Fruit Company engages a mix of overseas RSE workers, locals and back-packers. Many return year on year. “We’re fortunate to have some very experienced operators, so anyone new to picking or packing is very well supported.” Email: alastair@cooltranz.co.nz Phone: 021 826 384 Web: www.CoolTranz.co.nz Proud to support Hoddys Fruit Co Ltd We specialise in the temperature controlled transportation of produce and food grade products around New Zealand. PROVIDING SERVICE & CARE
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