The apple harvest is well underway at Wairepo Holdings in Lower Moutere, in the Tasman District of New Zealand's South Island.
"The weather has been fantastic so far, but it is turning wet at the end of the week," said Simon Easton from Wairepo Holdings.
At the start of the harvest, Simon had been hoping for some warm days and cold nights to finish off the crop and get a good size and colour. It seems that he got his wish.
"Colour has been excellent, and the brix levels are really good; dry matter is also high this year. Our Royal Gala packouts have been excellent. Sizes are down a little on the estimate. The Ambrosia apples have so far been amazing, and the eating quality is superb."
© Wairepo Holdings
At the moment, Simon is harvesting Ambrosia, and Koru has just started. The Evercrisp variety is still three weeks away. "We are very excited for this variety, the colour is coming, and we are already eating some off the tree. The super sweet flavours are coming through already."
Wairepo grows apples on 65 hectares; the main varieties are Envy, Pink Lady, Ambrosia, and Jugala. These are for export to China, Vietnam, Thailand, Europe, and the UK. They also supply Heartland Fruit with Ambrosia for the domestic market.
"We export about 220,000 tray carton equivalents (TCEs) from 55 producing hectares. Next year, all our new plantings will be in production. We hope to hit 240-250 000 tces from our 62-hectare orchard. We export mainly to Asia, with apples going to the UK, Europe, and the USA. Every year it seems to be less to Europe. Demand has been good in the export markets, but it is tougher in Europe and the USA with old stock still around."
There are no disruptions in shipping apples from New Zealand to the Asian markets, but the cost of shipping has greatly increased due to the war in the Middle East, as shipping lines have increased the rates.
For more information:
Simon Easton
Wairepo Holdings Ltd
[email protected]
