Mill Orchard Ltd.
The beginnings of Mill Orchard started back in 1981, when Nick White, the youngest in the White family bought an orchard in Loburn, North Canterbury. Being a complete novice to orcharding, it was a very steep learning curve to gain the necessary skills to produce quality apples.
In the early days the entire crop of apples were supplied to the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board for the local market.
William, Nicks’ older brother in 1986, saw the potential for development of vacant family land for a pip fruit orchard and planted a variety of apple trees.
With the rise of corporate apple growing in Canterbury, the need to export became apparent. So in 1989 the construction of an export apple packing house and cool storage commenced, with the first export crop being packed in the beginning of 1990.
Three years later Annabelle White, Nick and Williams’ sister, bought an established orchard in close proximity to the two existing orchards.
Deregulation of the local market pip fruit industry saw a refocusing of marketing strategies for the business. At that point a decision was made to change direction and focus entirely on supplying the local market, solely through Turners and Growers. This meant construction of additional cool stores and controlled atmosphere stores were undertaken.
The year 2001 saw the establishment of the Mill Orchard brand and the addition of a juicing plant with the primary purpose to produce a 100% natural juice, without preservatives, no added sugar, no added colour, no added flavouring and not from concentrates.
The popularity of the juice has seen sales soar and so necessitated three major upgrades in the juice plant to cope with demand. Our juice varieties have expanded to include: Classic Apple; Apple with Orange; Apple with Blackcurrant and these are marketed South Island wide and recently to the Wellington region.
With the combined success of sales of the fresh apples, pears and juice, the business resulted in a rapidly expanding market share and increasing product lines. The need for a formal company structure became apparent, so Mill Orchard Ltd was formed with six directors, who are: Nick and his wife Carey, along with William and his wife Gay, and Annabelle and her husband Mark.
As producers of healthy products, they are enthusiastic supporters of events that encourage active participation in a healthy lifestyle. They sponsor a variety of events including: two mountain bike events, the Mill Orchard Lees Valley Challenge and the Yahoo Challenge; SBS Christchurch Marathon; Le Race; North Canterbury Women’s Triathlon and various other community events.
Today Mill Orchard Ltd currently supplies pip fruit South Island wide and is presently the largest apple grower in Canterbury, employing up to 60 employees. They are committed to delivering products of the highest quality and flavours to their customers, taking pride and care in the apples, pears and juices they produce.