88 | HORTICULTURE Hoddys Fruit Co T T Ange Davidson Simply Red still a major hit as is the Royal Gala Hoddys is one of the main suppliers of the red skinned Royal Gala and Braeburn. When you bite into a crunchy Royal Gala apple, there’s a high chance the fruit was grown, picked, packed and transported from Hoddys Fruit Company in the Hope Valley near Nelson. Hoddys is one of the main suppliers of the red skinned Royal Gala and Braeburn (marketed as Simply Red) for Countdown supermarket chain. The 55 hectare orchard grows only apples, with markets both in New Zealand and overseas. Production Manager Canaan Black says nearly 40 % of the orchard’s crop is destined for the local market through Countdown and a number of smaller fruit and vegetable outlets. Most of the apples grown in the Nelson area and Hawkes Bay are exported. “We really like the New Zealand market; there’s less freight costs, and less time between picking the apples and getting them out on the shelves,” says Canaan. “We have a fully integrated operation on the orchard with cool stores, a pack house and trucks for distribution. We also have our domestic marketing team in-house, leaving the export marketing to our parent company RD8 Marketing Ltd, who also market berries and other fruits to local and export markets.” “We really like the New Zealand market; there’s less freight costs, and less time between picking the apples and getting them on shelves.” “It can be difficult to get your foot in the door with local supermarkets like Countdown. You have to prove yourself and supply a quality product. We’ll harvest our apples earlier to ensure picking quality and a better crunch post storage which gives our fruit the best chance.” “We only grow apples and have half a dozen different varieties on the go such as Tarzi, an early Royal Gala that is largely exported, Pink Lady, Fuji, Granny Smith, Royal Gala and Braeburn,” he says. To maximise yield and quality, the apples are grown on a 2D system using eight wires. The trees grow towards each other and are easy for pickers to access. “My old boss used to say that we farm light, and we harvest that light into quality fruit. We’re really big on that so we pick at the right time and make our apples as good as they can be. We want people to eat and enjoy our apples,” laughs Canaan. The 2D system helps produce a good yield and excellent fruit quality. The apples are easier to care for and pick, and the system is suited to greater mechanisation. Ladders are becoming a thing of the past and the fruit is picked manually from a high and a low platform. During the height of the season, the orchard employs up to 45 pickers in four crews. They are supported by a tractor driver and Quality Control supervisors. The packhouse employs around 80 people for four months at the height of the season as other orchards in the area also use the packhouse facilities. Staffing pressure has eased with the reopening of the borders after Covid and the orchard relies on RSE workers from overseas as well as locals and tourists. “The biggest headache during Covid was logistics and shipping as there was a shortage of containers and we ended up with a backlog in the packhouse,” he says. Transport is just one reason why Hoddys Fruit Company intends to target the inherently stable New Zealand market for its future growth. “Kiwis eat the most apples per capita in the world, and we grow awesome apples.” Email: alastair@cooltranz.co.nz | Phone: 021 826 384 Web: www.CoolTranz.co.nz Proud to support Hoddy’s Fruit Company We specialise in the temperature controlled transportation of produce and food grade products around New Zealand. Supporting local businesses like Hoddys Fruit Co Get your insurance sorted Darren Sowerby 027 485 2553 CL1174A CL1174A CLMB Hoddy's fruit supporting print ad 126.5mm(w) x 100mm(h) V1.indd 1 12/01/23 2:34 PM
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