By Gianina Schwanecke
T&G Global, along with FarmRight, is converting a former Canterbury dairy farm into a premium apple growing orchard. It will plant 125-hectares in the Joli variety. Photo: Supplied
Fresh produce giant T&G Global is expanding its operations in Canterbury, planting a new crop of premium apples.
The NZX-listed company is converting what was a dairy farm into an apple orchard in Mid Canterbury.
It partnered with New Zealand Superannuation Fund, through its rural investment manager FarmRight, to plant the 125 hectares of Joli-branded apples.
While the grower has already planted 55ha of the premium variety in Hawke's Bay, it marks the first plantings at a commercial scale in Canterbury.
T&G chief operating officer of apples Shane Kingston described the Joli as a "vibrant, large, red apple, bursting with juiciness and providing full balance sweetness".
He said its taste, texture and size were especially attractive to the Asian market.
"We're really confident about its potential performance," Kingston said.
"This is a flavour profile that consumers across Asia are actively seeking out, and we have customers and consumers eagerly awaiting the first commercial Joli fruit in 2027."
Kingston said he was excited about the partnership and significant expansion into a new region.
The region was well-suited to growing with the right temperatures, soil types, water and land availability, and a good labour supply from nearby Christchurch, he said.
It aligned with the company's goal to diversify its operations.
Kingston said it would be a couple of years before the crop would yield fruit, with the first commercial crop expected in 2027 from the Hawke's Bay plantings.
The Canterbury orchard would be an "important next step" in determining what varieties will be grown, he said.
FarmRight's general manager of the NZ Super Fund Portfolio, Ed Tapp, said he was also excited to bring large scale apple production to the region.
This latest planting, set to begin this spring, would bring the total canopy area on the dairy-to-apples conversion to 250 ha, he said.
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