In New Zealand, Clive Marsh and Heather North manage a walnut orchard near Lincoln, utilizing a tree shaker and nut gatherer for their operations. The orchard spans 16 hectares, primarily cultivating two walnut varieties: Rex and Meyric. Rex, known for its disease resistance and shell quality, is favored for commercial use. Harvest occurs from late March to April, where nuts are collected under the canopy using a custom-made harvester operated by David Livesey, a retired onion farmer.
The harvesting equipment, imported from France, features a rotating sweeper and pickup device to efficiently gather walnuts. Towards the end of the season, a tree shaker from California is employed to dislodge the remaining nuts. North and Marsh, with backgrounds in satellite remote sensing and process engineering, respectively, began their walnut cultivation in the late 1990s, opting for a crop with minimal chemical input suitable for Canterbury's conditions.
The proximity of a walnut processing facility in West Melton, now a cooperative owned by growers, was a deciding factor in their venture. North stated, "We sell all of our walnuts to the co-op, and they market them under the Trickett's Grove Walnuts brand." The cooperative processes nuts for kernels and presses walnut oil, with plans to introduce a walnut butter range.
Despite local production, New Zealand imports walnuts from California to meet domestic demand. A blind tasting by a Lincoln University expert earlier this year revealed a preference for the co-op's products, with Marsh noting, "He found that ours tasted fresher, less rancid, more nutty, and all of those tastes corresponded with traits that the customers preferred." This feedback highlights consumer favorability towards locally produced walnuts.
Source: NZ Herald