Kelston Orchards is a family owned and managed business, specialising in the growing, packing and selling of fresh apples for New Zealand and international markets. We are established in the sunny Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, where we have operated for the last 40 years.

Kelston Orchards Ltd also has the sole packing rights for the Hawkes Bay Clean brand which markets delicious summer fruits throughout the country.

PROFILE

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Kelston Orchards Ltd is a family owned and operated business with over 40 years experience in the industry. Based in Hawkes Bay, Kelston Orchards Ltd, own and lease 15 orchards on the Western side of Hastings. They also pack apples for numerous other orchards around the Bay. Kelston Orchards Ltd packhouse, located on Ormond Road also known as Oak Avenue, Hastings, operates from late November to mid July. Stonefruit is packed in the packhouse from November to February. From early February to late July the packhouse is used solely to pack apples for the export market.

Kelston Orchards currently uses chosen exporters to export their fresh apples all over the world including Europe, Great Britain, Ireland, Asia, USA, the Middle East and the Pacific Islands.

HISTORY

Kelston Orchards has been operating since 1978. David and Shirley Harington moved to the Hawkes Bay where they bought the orchard as a going concern, continuing to run it as an apple and pear orchard. Their son Tony joined the business in 1982 where they began to expand their enterprise.

The existing packhouse under went an extensive upgrade in 2014, extending the packhouse and main sizer. In 2015 a large second coolstore complex was built along side the existing coolstores and packhouse enabling them to take full control of the post harvest operation.

Kelston Orchards has formed partnerships with exporters since 2001 when the industry was deregulated.

APPLE VARIETIES

Kelston Orchards grows a wide range of varieties to suit the preferences for our markets both internationally and locally.

These include New Zealand Rose, New Zealand Queen, Royal Gala, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Fuji and Pink Lady.

PACKAGING

Kelston Orchards Ltd uses the following industry standard pack types:

• Z Pack - the most common packing configuration for New Zealand apples, typically weighing 18kg
• 2 Layer Z Pack - a half sized Z pack containing 2 layers of fruit
• RDT - also known as Retail Display Tray, consisting of 2 trays of apples designed especially for supermarket displays, weighing 12-13kgs
• RST - also known as Retail Single Tray, consisting of 1 tray of apples designed especially for supermarket displays, weighing 6-7kgs
• Maxi Z Pack - a larger form of z pack, weighing 20kg, used for specific varieties and destinations.
• Bagged fruit - usually in 1kg bags, stacked into a 18kg Z Pack or 12kg RDT

Contact us for your specific packaging requirements

QUALITY ASSURANCE

QUALITY POLICY

At Kelston Orchards, quality assurance starts before an apple appears on the tree and finishes when that very apple is shipped off in a container. Kelston Orchards Ltd is proud to stand behind the following Quality Policy.

"For Management and Staff to act as a team with the goal of consistently producing product to meet the customer's standards. To develop systems to regulate and document Quality, Health and Safety requirements that are traceable, updateable, easily maintainable and transparent."

ORCHARD

Starting in the orchard, we adhere strictly to the following regulatory and governing bodies

NZ Integrated Fruit Programme (IFP)
IFP is defined as "The production of market quality fruit, giving priority to methods that are the safest possible to the environment and human health. It is a programme based on continuous improvement". New Zealands IFP standards have lead to a ...- 30% reduction in use of EBDC fungicides- 18% reduction in fungicide applications - 60% reduction insecticide use- 90% reduction in organo-phosphate insecticide use- 100% reduction in miticide use

GlobalGAP
GLOBALGAP is in independent international standard primarily designed to reassure consumers about how food is produced on the farm by minimising detrimental environmental impacts of farming operations, reducing the use of chemical inputs and ensuring a responsible approach to worker health and safety as well as animal welfare.

Fruit Maturity Testing
We have laboratory facilities for fruit maturity testing. This service is provided to assist growers in deciding the optimum time to pick their fruit and to provide our customers with fruit of the highest eating and keeping qualities. As fruit arrives on trucks from the orchard, we also take samples to confirm that fruit meets export standards. This process allows us to identify the quality of fruit before storage or packing and deal with it in the best way possible.Information from tests is provided to our suppliers and management team to help with decision making and planning requirements.

PACKHOUSE

Kelston Orchards Ltd is an MAO (Ministry for Primary Industry Accredited Operator). This allows us to create export documentation without the need for an Independent Verification Agency. Our documented Organisation System is independently audited to comply with ongoing changes to MPI Plant Export Standards.

Kelston orchards Ltd has also been assessed by an independent verification authority and found to have a production system that meets requirements set out in the internationally recognized BRC - FOOD standard, as well as New Zealands own NZGAP(New Zealand Good Agricultural Practice).
These standards were created to establish a standard for the supply of food products and to act as key piece of evidence for retailers and brand owners to demonstrate due diligence in the face of potential prosecution by the enforcement authorities. The Standard covers such critical topics as HACCP, quality management, product and process control, and the workplace environment.

All of our independent verification is undertaken by either SGS or Asurequality

GALLERY

CONTACT US

© Copyright Kelston Orchards Ltd 2018