Bostock New Zealand: Growing Organic New Zealand Apples in Partnership With Nature
Bostock NZ is New Zealand’s leading certified organic apple producer and exporter. The Hawke’s Bay company is owned by John Bostock and is proud to have a 25-year history of organic growing. Bostock supplies 85% of New Zealand’s exported organic apples to over 20 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. Bostock also produces organic onions, squash, grain, and chickens.
“The biggest challenge to exporting organic produce is educating international consumers about the value of organic production”.
Europe and the USA are large markets for organic produce where the customers are well educated about the nature and benefits of organic production. However, while Asia is a rapidly growing market for New Zealand produce, consumers are far less clear about what organic production entails and what the value is in buying certified organic produce, as opposed to simply buying New Zealand produce.
Bostock carries out its own international marketing, developing relationships with its customers and thus deepening its understanding of customer needs. The company is using a variety of approaches in Asia to provide information on organics to customers, including digital media approaches, use of influencers, driving branding through sustainable packaging, and in-country personnel. As a result, sales of Bostock apples in Vietnam have risen substantially, purchased by younger, more educated consumers who want to know where their food comes from.
Another arm of Bostock’s long-term approach is developing new apple varieties in collaboration with Plant & Food Research. Such development has twinned purposes:
• Varieties that can easily and cost-effectively be grown using organic methods, i.e., pest, disease and climate-resilient, require fewer chemical and labour inputs.
• Varieties that are specifically appealing to consumers in particular markets
– European and North American markets prefer apples with sweet and tart flavours. In contrast, Asian markets are particularly interested in sweet fruit with high red colour and excellent cosmetic appearance.
New variety development can take decades, but Bostock is already reaping the benefits through sales of its trademarked Dazzle apples.
As well as being a highly successful organic exporter, Bostock is committed to sustainability in all aspects of its business. The company plants natives around its orchards to increase local Indigenous biodiversity, has invested in fuel-efficient tractors, uses by-products wherever possible, increases soil fertility with compost and mulch and generates electricity through solar panels on the farm.
To learn more about Bostock’s organic apples visit their website.
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