Frans and Tineke de Jong emigrated to New Zealand in 2003. They grow bell peppers and feijoas there, and they run a bed & breakfast. Last year, they won the prestigious BFEA award in the Waikato, which is awarded in recognition of sustainable business.
The enthusiastic stories of son Talbert, who did a four-month internship in New Zealand at a dairy farm, didn’t leave Frans and Tineke de Jong unmoved. Their interest was aroused so much that in early 2003, they went to investigate the country with their daughter Simone. “Within a week, we were sure that New Zealand was a good country to live and work and to enjoy the wonderful nature. With the help of a local contact and a good, reliable emigration coach in the Netherlands, the process was started, and at the end of October 2003 we moved permanently to New Zealand,” Frans says.
Subtropical fruit
The family lives near Matamata on the North Island. Here, a greenhouse and an orchard was purchased. They’re also running a successful B&B. “Matamata is world famous now thanks to the Lord of the Rings film set. Our company, Southern Belle Orchard, is only six kilometres away from it.” In the greenhouse, bell peppers are grown, which are mostly sold on the local market, and at farmers’ markets at the weekend. Feijoas grow in the more than three hectare orchard. The feijoa is a subtropical fruit, which originally comes from South America. “The New Zealand climate is exceptionally suitable for the feijoa, except for the southernmost part of the South Island, where it’s too cold,” he explains. “A lot of research was done into new varieties, and now there are over twenty commercial feijoa varieties. This means we have a guaranteed harvest in our autumn, from mid-March until mid-June.” The company is a member of the New Zealand Feijoa Association, of which Frans is a board member. This organization aims to make the fruit as well-known as the kiwi, and is thus constantly looking for good sales channels. “Although there is still growth in the local market, we also see the export increase significantly. At the moment, we export 50 to 60% of our feijoas to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, the United States and the Middle East,” he says. “Newer planes, which are able to make more direct flights to Europe, ensure that soon perhaps it will also be possible to export to Europe.”
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Frans and Tineke de Jong