Follow the journey of
New Zealand’s apple
Follow the journey of the world’s tastiest apples from the orchards of New Zealand to the shopping baskets of discerning consumers all around the world.
New Zealand has the perfect apple-growing climate and an apple industry made up of talented and passionate people. They are our apple growers, our scientists, our orchard and packhouse workers, our food safety technicians, our distribution and marketing experts and our technology innovators. These are their stories.
SCROLL DOWNPerfect provenance
New Zealand has the perfect climate for growing apples. Our island nation receives high levels of sunshine and has a more moderate climate than continental countries because we’re surrounded by the cool Pacific Ocean. This means our summers are warm and winters mild, which is just how apples like it.
Grown in nature’s balance
New Zealand apple growers work with the biological ecosystems in our orchards to control pests and diseases. To minimise the impact of chemical sprays, New Zealand growers prefer either “soft chemicals” or biological interventions for pest control, such as the release of predatory wasps in the orchard when an outbreak of codling moth threatens. This means our apples have world-leading low levels of chemical residue on their skin.
Future thinkers
The New Zealand apple industry is full of smart, innovative minds who are constantly looking to create new and more delicious apple varieties, more effective and safer methods of pest control and smarter pack house technology that ensures we can offer the world’s consumers the most consistent quality, the safest and tastiest fruit around.
Ethical labour
Apple harvesting is a labour-intensive operation and until recently the industry has struggled to get enough hands on deck to pick and process apples. Seasonal labourers from the Pacific Islands have provided the solution, and together we have developed a system is considered by many to be the most ethical seasonal migrant labour system in the world.
Cultivating careers
Young New Zealanders join the apple industry for rewarding careers from almost every background. Some come straight from school and work their way up through the orchard management and packhouse system. Others join us from university after studying science, horticulture or commerce.
Apples for the world
New Zealand apples are appreciated around the world for their beauty, excellent flavour, crisp texture and minimal residues. But different cultures have slightly different apple preferences, so New Zealand exporters have developed different varieties for consumers in the various markets of North America, Asia and Europe.
