Published: December 4, 2017 2:48PM

New management team at Corson focused on extending its maize-based product mix.

NEW BOSS: Daniel Prenter became Corson chief executive in July, after 19 years in food production and food packaging for the meat, horticulture and dairy sectors. He is originally from Hawke’s Bay. Picture by Liam ClaytonThe continuing trend towards healthy, safe food is helping to propel Gisborne-based food ingredients company Corson into the future.

Armed with a new management team and dedicated product development manager, Corson plans to capitalise on the immense opportunities in new maize-based products and markets, says chief executive Daniel Prenter.

Eastland Community Trust would like to distribute $4.5 million to economic development projects this financial year, effectively doubling the fund it makes available for economic development in the region.

The announcement, made in August, represents a step change for the organisation, which has streamlined its approach to economic development following a review of its funding process and the amalgamation of Activate Tairawhiti. But the trust needs good opportunities to back.

ECT chief executive Gavin Murphy says the trust is entering exciting times.

“There’s a commonly held aspiration for our community – one where business thrives, whanau have access to sustainable and well-paid jobs, and communities prosper. Whether working at a regional, community or hapu level, our region is blessed with a community-held fund that can support real transformation.”

There are two funds that organisations can apply to.

The Economic Investigation and Research Fund is designed for those who have a new or innovative business idea but need to test its viability, feasibility or impact further. It’s a contestable fund with $30,000 per initiative and up to $500,000 available for distribution.

“With this fund, we hope to empower smaller or new business to make outstanding decisions and to support those initiatives that incrementally improve the business environment,” says Mr Murphy.

“We are looking to fund research and reports that enable local businesses to minimise risk, and identify and quantify opportunities for growth and job creation further down the track.”

Meanwhile, the Regional Economic Growth Fund is designed to allow ECT to deliberately intervene by investing in or supporting new and growing businesses — creating jobs and increasing GDP. The trust has made $4 million available in this fund.

In recent times organisations such as Hikurangi Bioactives have benefitted from these funding pools, with ECT supporting early-stage research and clinical trials on the Coast.

“In the long-term, these funds have the potential to ensure our community can take charge of its economic future, particularly when combined with the efforts of organisations like Hikurangi Bioactives and with the support of critical regional partners — Activate Tairawhiti, the council and iwi.”

The trust is actively seeking applications for both funds and is looking for projects with the potential to create sustainable, well-paid jobs, enhance business diversity and increase GDP, and align to the region’s key economic drivers.

Those interested can find more information at: www.ect.org.nz

“Developing new food ingredient products is our real focus.

“This will extend our current product mix supplying into the cereal, snack and bakery categories.”

Corson's a household nameCorson has been a household name since Thomas Corson senior shifted here from Hawke’s Bay in 1902, in the belief Gisborne would develop faster.

The company began as a one-man grain and seed broker and manufacturers’ agent, and developed — after adding a major Queensland maize products company to the mix in 2003 — into reputedly the largest maize miller in Australasia.

Corson remains family-owned and has two family members on the board.

Mr Prenter took up the role as chief executive in July. Originally from Hawke’s Bay, he has 19 years of experience in food production and food packaging for the meat, horticulture and dairy sectors.

He was attracted to the role because of consumer trends towards healthy food choices and healthy products, and the potential maize products have within this wider trend.

“Our relatively new team is fortunate to have inherited a strong business that has been well-managed by Thomas and John Corson over many decades.

“We are extremely appreciative of the support from our loyal grower base from Wairoa and Gisborne to Tolaga Bay, which supplies 100 percent of our New Zealand maize,” Mr Prenter said.

“And we’re fortunate we have an experienced, loyal workforce of 25 in Gisborne.

“That loyalty, and skill base, enables us to consistently produce a quality product. We also enjoy strong customer relationships with New Zealand domestic and multinational markets.

“We are a business-to-business supplier.

“We don’t make consumer products ourselves, but there are some segments we don’t currently participate in. Part of our new product development agenda is identifying and filling the gaps.

“Gaining access into new markets will involve further processing of our current mill range.”

Mr Prenter said new product development manager Nicky Solomon, who has a PhD in food science, will help the company capitalise on recognised new-product opportunities.

“We have to make sure our investment decisions position us well for the evolving market.

“For instance, there is a market trend away from traditional breakfast cereals towards snack-style breakfast eating like Up&Go and snack bars. This is a something we have to move with.

“We need to stay relevant within that breakfast and snack space.”

Popcorn, Mexican food and bakery products were also growth areas, he said.

“Popcorn is a $22 million category in New Zealand. It has come into vogue and is seen now as a healthy snack food because it’s popped dry. Ready-to-eat, popped popcorn is a growth category on supermarket shelves.

“The development of the Mexican category is particularly good for us, with corn chips and tortilla being maize-based. Our grain ingredients go into products like Doritos and GrainWaves.”

Mr Prenter said one of the company’s strengths was that it mills a single variety of grain.

“So we can guarantee we are wheat-free, for instance. All our products are free of allergens, gluten and genetically modified organisms. It is a safe option from that perspective.”

'It's good for us and it's good for Gisborne'The international focus on food safety and place of origin will continue to benefit Corson.

“Food safety is an important part of our ability to build strong relationships, a strong point of difference and definitely a lever for developing opportunities in Asia. Gisborne’s — and New Zealand’s — isolation will play a strong part in the future.

“We’re exporting more from New Zealand and Australia.

“There’s huge growth and excitement for us in the Asian bakery market as people there aspire to a more Western-style diet.

“In Seoul there’s a bakery on every second corner. Five years ago, they did not exist.

“People are eating less rice and more cereals, burgers, and bakery and pastry products.”

Mr Prenter said dietary change and concern for food safety, coupled with an enormous population, equates to huge potential.

“It’s good for us and good for Gisborne.”

| Source: Gisborne Herald   || December 4,  2017   |||

United States new diafiltration ingredient ignited Canada’s secessionist milk powder keg

Canada’s determination to protect its French-speaking dairy industry is emerging as the reason for its last minute defection from the Trans Pacific Partnership trade treaty.  The cause of this pre-signing ceremony pull-out is increasingly being seen as the other North American defector.

This is Canada’s NAFTA partner the United States which is determined to push a new-technology milk derivative across the border into Canada.

UDC once among world’s biggest finance companies

Dec 1, 2017  - The failure of the ANZ to consummate its sale of UDC Finance to China’s HNA Group is further evidence to the effect that it is one thing to sell an asset into this region. It is another thing to actually get paid for it.  There are now strong indications that the UDC sale is now back at the point of its departure, the signing ceremony.

Dec 1, 2017  -  Phillip Goundar, New Zealand Diploma of Engineering (Civil) student, placed in the top three in an Engineering NZ competition, earning return flights to the November ‘Engineer your Career’ forum. The second year Ara Institute of Canterbury student from Fiji believes it was his creative vision, background and experience that impressed the judges. 

In answering why he chose to study engineering Goundar drew upon his own life experiences.  “I originate from a rural village in Fiji called Vatukarasa. Growing up we had a very basic house and no [clean] running water. I had to walk with a two-litre bottle to a family friend’s house as they had a borehole and clean water, so I would fill it up and walk back home. I made several trips every afternoon so we had clean water to drink.”

Experiences such as this make Goundar appreciate the value of engineering. “If I don’t do something correctly there are lives at stake, so that builds pride into what I’m doing. I can see how my work is going to serve the community. I can see the importance of my job, especially after going through all of the Christchurch earthquakes and aftershocks.”

Goundar was one of eight engineering students from Ara who beat out competition from tertiary institutes across the country to attend the Wellington forum. Engineering New Zealand, formerly IPENZ, originally offered fifty forum spots for tertiary students. However, due to the high calibre of entries they decided to offer seventy-two spots.

To earn entry to the forum students had to provide winning answers to two questions: what inspired you to study engineering and what does the future of engineering look like to you?

Twenty-one year old Goundar thinks that in the future the engineering industry will place higher value on safety and innovation. Within his own career, Goundar wants to explore the concept of “designing a material which is lighter than concrete but much superior in strength”.

“The highlight of the whole event for me was to hear that grades are important but it’s a fifty-fifty split between grades and experience. For me personally, I made use of all my opportunities at Ara, not just in class. Ara gave me the platform to speak up and share my ideas. The tutors welcome questions and conversation with the students, and they keep learning engaging. It’s clear that they want you to understand.”

From December, Goundar will start working for BECA as a Civil Engineering Technician. However, since attending the forum he is considering his career pathway and exploring the possibilities of further study.  “I appreciated the networking opportunities at the forum to talk with new engineers in the field and hear about the difficulties they face. I also gained a better understanding of how I could move up in the ranks within the engineering industry.”

“My goal is to study the Ara Bachelor of Engineering Degree part-time, or a Bachelor of Engineering through University. Once I have achieved that and gained work experience I want to go on to do a taught Masters. I don’t know if I’ll want to work within the industry for my entire career. One day I’d like to be a lecturer.”

| An ARA rerlease  ||  December 1, 2017   |||

Dec 1, 2017  -  There are fewer than 20 Australians and New Zealanders working now in the California wine industry, the majority as winemakers. Some others migrated to Washington, Oregon and British Columbia from their home country writes Santa Rosa based-wine and spirit  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for The Press Democrat. 

Most of those interviewed for this article agree that Grant Taylor, a Kiwi winemaker, was the first to come to California in 1979, to work at Pine Ridge in the Napa Valley. Taylor returned to New Zealand in 1993 and is the owner of Valli Vineyards in Central Otago.

The following is a partial list of Aussies and Kiwis, in chronological order by the date they first came to California and their present position in the California wine industry.

Rex Smith (Australia): 1984, winemaker William Knuttel Winery, Sonoma.

Daryl Groom (Australia): 1989, co-owner Colby Red Wine and Groom Wines

Nick Goldschmidt (New Zealand): 1989, Goldschmidt Vineyards and Nick Goldschmidt Consulting

Chris Loxton (Australia): 1991, owner/winemaker Loxton Cellars

Michael Scholz (Australia): 1991, vice president, Winemaking & Vineyards, St. Supery Estate Vineyards & Winery

Mick Schroeter (Australia): 1992, director of winemaking, Sonoma Cutrer

Toni Stockhausen (Australia): 1999, Winemaker, Bennett Valley Cellars

Wayne Donaldson (Australia): 2000, vp production, Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits

Sean McKenzie (New Zealand): 2001, senior winemaker, The Dreaming Tree

Susan Doyle (Australia), 2003: chief winemaker, Spring Mountain Vineyard

Matt Parish (New Zealand), 2003: managing dir., Matt Parish Wines, sold through Nakedwines and International consulting winemaker.

Matt Johnson (Australia), 2008: chief winemaker Americas, Treasury Wine Estates

Andrew Bilenkiji (Australia), 2012: winemaker, Ledson Winery

Sam Glaetzer (Australia), 2016: senior vice president wine & spirits production, Constellation Brands

- Gerald D. Boyd

When people think of winemakers from other parts of the world who’ve influenced Sonoma County winemaking, they likely think of France or Italy. They don’t think of Australia or New Zealand. But they should.

In 1989, Daryl Groom, an Australian winemaker in his 20s, was one of the first Antipodeans to move to California to make wine. At the time, Groom was working for Penfolds, one of Australia’s largest and most respected wineries.

“Lisa and I never sought to move from our home in Tanunda in the Barossa Valley,” Groom said. “We had just built our house. I had the best winemaking job in Australia as senior red winemaker at Penfolds, and we loved our community and friends.”

At the time, Henry Trione, then the owner of Geyser Peak Winery, was in a partnership with Penfolds and the Australian wine company wanted their top winemaker to learn about making wine in California.

“I was asked by Penfolds if I wanted to go to California and make wine,” Groom said. “I was 29, my wife and I had a new baby, but Penfolds sweetened the pot by offering me my job back after two years in California. It promised to be a great adventure.”

A few years later, Penfolds sent Mick Schroeter, one of three winemakers who reported to Groom at Penfolds, to California on an overseas wine educational trip.

“I needed someone at Geyser Peak who knew Aussie winemaking techniques and who I didn’t have to train, so while he was here, I offered Mick the job,” Groom said. Today, Mick Schroeter is director of winemaking at Sonoma Cutrer.

For the Groomses, anticipating a new adventure in another country was mixed with concern. “Our only thought, now naïve, was all of the USA was full of crime and violence. On Aussie news at that time you only heard the ugliness of America, and in particular, New York at its worse. We were a little scared,” Groom said.

Groom said he and Lisa found life in Sonoma County easier than they expected. “People were overly friendly and so helpful in the community and at work,” said Groom.

Nick Goldschmidt’s move to California took a different path from the Grooms. The same year that Groom departed Australia for California, New Zealand winemaker Goldschmidt, restless with wanderlust and knowing his wife’s desire to live in California, applied to a number of North Coast wineries and landed a job at one of Sonoma’s iconic wineries.

“My wife, Yolyn, and I didn’t have kids back then, and we had been traveling for a year already, so we were capable of living elsewhere,” Goldschmidt said. “I applied by letter to three wineries in California and ended up working the harvest at Carneros Creek in 1989.”

A year later, Goldschmidt signed on at Simi to work with Zelma Long and Paul Hobbes. He stayed at Simi until 2003.

Before the move, Goldschmidt was on the winemaking team at such noted New Zealand wineries as Kumeu River, Coopers Creek and Babich. The Goldschmidts manage Goldschmidt Vineyards and Forefather wines from their home office in Healdsburg.

Even though there was some trepidation, the Goldschmidts found Sonoma County not much different from New Zealand.

“ ‘What an opportunity,’ we thought. Kiwis from little New Zealand moving to a big scary country like the USA,” he said. “But we found Northern California very similar to New Zealand, except we couldn’t swim in the ocean. The people were great and the place wasn’t as intimidating as we thought.”

The inviting and open attitude in California was refreshing for the Goldschmidts. “People in America celebrate success,” he said. “In New Zealand they have the Tall Poppy theory, where you are not expected to stand out above your peers.”

Goldschmidt said that although the pace of life is slower in New Zealand, Kiwis are open and opinionated.

“Americans are very sensitive, compared to the frank and opinionated attitudes of most Kiwis,” he said.

He admits the commonly shared language wasn’t a problem as much as different accents: “One of the first things I picked up on was the difference between rubbish and trash and we say mate to everybody.”

On his outlook on winemaking in California, Goldschmidt was direct.

“There is a lack of a specific wine culture in the U.S. wine industry,” he said. “Americans are trying to make wine for everyone with little consideration for such things as terroir.”

Still Goldschmidt is impressed with the growing diversity in the market and sees merlot as an underrated wine.

Groom also remembers the unknown in winemaking that lay ahead of him in California.

“That first year in Sonoma County was a challenge,” he said. “It was the harvest from hell, but we turned the wines upside down at Geyser Peak in two years, with fresh varietal sauvignon blanc and barrel-fermented chardonnay. It was a turning point in my career.”

Viewing California winemaking from an Australian perspective, Groom had this to say: “Australia deals with more infertile soils than California. And Australia works more with grapes on their own roots, rather than the grafted vines in California. That often means higher yields and dropping fruit which you don’t see in Australia.

“And then there was a language barrier,” he added with a laugh. “It’s the nature of people, I reckon, but Californians are more complex, descriptive than Aussies.”

He soon realized that the biggest confusion was different words for the same thing.

“I asked a lady if I could help her by nursing her baby. Nursing in Australia is simply holding a child,” he said. “My wife asked at the supermarket where the pot plants were. We learned she should have asked about potted plants.”

Looking to the future of wine in Sonoma County, both men like what they see in the growth for rosé wines. “Rosé is an important slot to fill in the expanding market,” Goldschmidt said.

Groom is seeing more lower-alcohol wines, with increased fruit expression, especially in Sonoma County.

Planning for the future in winemaking hit a snag recently with the wildfires in the county. Neither Groom nor Goldschmidt suffered personal or work-related fire damage. However, Groom said that because of a power outage for nine days, cabernet sauvignon he already had in the tank started to ferment, and he will have to downgrade the wine and not use it for his Groom label.

After decades in California winemaking, both men are going off in different directions.

Besides running his own brand, Goldschmidt Vineyards, Goldschmidt consults in Chile, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand while devoting 25 percent of his time to Alpine Engineering, a company developing inventions related to wine, along with his wife.

Groom, on the other hand, has stopped traveling, deciding instead to freely mentor young winemakers. Part of his time, though, is spent with Colby Red Wines, a project he runs with his son, Colby, and wife Lisa that raises money for heart disease research.

“Of course, I still make Groom Wines in Australia,” he said.

Now, 30 years after moving to California, the question is: are Goldschmidt and Groom staying put or returning to their native countries?

Goldschmidt didn’t hesitate, saying that he and Yolyn are here permanently. Their five children are grown: a daughter lives and works in Australia, a son is a winemaker in Napa Valley, their twins are in college and the youngest daughter is a sophomore in high school.

The Grooms have also decided to stay in Sonoma County. Groom said their four children are Americanized. Of the three daughters, one lives and works in Los Angeles, one is in pediatric residency in Arizona and one is in the wine industry. Groom’s son is studying political science and traveling the country as a guest speaker on his journey with heart disease.

While the migration of winemakers from Australia and New Zealand has slowed in recent years, the lure of a new adventure and the opportunity to learn something new remains an attraction.

Groom and Goldschmidt are but two winemakers who made their way to California. A list of others now living and working in California is included in box at left.

Source:  Gerald D. Boyd is a Santa Rosa-based wine and spirits writer. Reach him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  || December 1, 2017   |||

Nov 30, 2017  - Pipeline technology specialist, STATS Group (STATS), has formalised an agency agreement with OSD Pty Limited, New Zealand’s largest independent pipeline service company.  OSD is a leading engineering, operations and commercial services provider to the oil and gas, pipelines and facilities, process, refining, water and hydro-transport sectors.

Kintore-based STATS Group specialises in the provision of pipeline isolation, repair and integrity services, including the design, supply and provision of specialised test, intervention and isolation tools, to the international oil and gas industry.

The agreement follows recent collaboration between the two companies in which STATS have completed three pressurised pipeline isolation projects for major operators in New Zealand on behalf of OSD, allowing for the safe replacement and installation of valves.

The deal has the potential to significantly increase exposure of STATS’s patented pipeline isolation technologies in the southern hemisphere and will complement recent growth in the Asian and Chinese markets.

STATS DNV GL type approved isolation tools provide fail-safe double block and bleed isolation allowing sections of pipework to be vented, creating safe worksite conditions for repair and maintenance to be carried out, often without affecting production.

STATS Group regional sales manager for Asia Pacific, Gareth Campbell, said: “This is an ideal partnership for STATS which opens up new markets and provides opportunities to showcase our expertise in pipeline isolation, hot-tapping and valve replacement services.

“We share the same ethos as OSD in seeking to offer world-class engineering across the asset lifecycle, with a focus on technical and commercial innovation. This alliance has enjoyed an excellent start with three successful isolation projects in New Zealand and we believe our joint capabilities offer a compelling proposition for operators in the New Zealand pipeline sector.”

OSD’s general manager, New Zealand, Shane Hamnett, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce this partnership with STATS as it further supports our drive for excellence in providing world class engineering, technical and innovative solutions to industries toughest challenges.

“Jointly, our outstanding relationship and organisational alignment provides a unique opportunity for pipeline operators to efficiently implement solutions that improve the overall operations, maintenance and growth activities across their asset base.”

| A STATS group release  ||  November 30, 2017  |||

Nov 30, 2017  -  In a manufacturing plant at Dongguan, a nondescript town about an hour outside the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a robot arrives to collect the latest box of Huawei smartphones rolling off a production line writes Mark Jennings for Newsroom.

Stand in the robot’s path and it politely tells you (in Mandarin) to move aside. The robots are busy here – this plant produces 1.3 million smartphones a month; some will likely end up in New Zealand.

Huawei sold 139 million phones last year and ranks third behind Samsung and Apple.

Robots are steadily replacing people in Huawei’s Chinese plants.

“They are more efficient and the quality is better," New Zealand journalists being shown through the plant were told.

According to Huawei, only three phones out of every million fail the rigorous quality control tests.

Humans still have a role - there are 28 of them on each Huawei production line, mainly putting cameras into the phones and testing functionality - but their days are numbered.

Word is that the nearby Foxconn plants (which make smartphones for Apple and Samsung) have 250 people on each production line.

“That’s because people are still cheaper (than the sophisticated robots) for now.”

But, it is clear from the smile on our guide’s face that Huawei doesn’t think the cost difference will last much longer.

Continue here to read the full srticle by Mark Jennings for Newsroom  ||  November 30, 2017   |||

Nov 30,  2017  -  A Japanese manufacturer has developed an odourless paint that can be peeled off surfaces, leaving behind no scratches or marks.  Called Belay, the paint was developed and manufactured by Washin Chemical Industry – a water-based-paint specialist in Japan.  The paint is simply applied with a brush, and gives a varnish-like sheen. Similar to plastic sheets currently on the market, it is designed to protect surfaces from scratches and stains.

But unlike the sheets, the paint can be applied to curved and uneven surfaces, and can be used on a wide range of materials including wood, metal, plastic resin, tile and stone.

"The paint can protect the surfaces of important items and areas such as commercial spaces at restaurants and hotels to household furniture," said the brand.

"Because it can easily be peeled off, if you're bothered by visible stains or scratches, it also reduces the burden of daily maintenance."

In addition to the clear gloss and matt finishes, which maintain the material's natural appearance, Belay has developed a collection of 10 peelable paint colours in collaboration with French designer Pierre Charpin.

The 10 hues, which include black and white, were inspired by colours that have been used in Charpin's previous design works.

Arranged into two collections each made up of six 30 millilitre bottles, the coloured paints can also be used on glass to create window murals.

The Belay brand was launched this week in Tokyo at the IFFT Interior Lifestyle Living trade show. A one-kilogram tin of paint costs 15,000 yen (approximately £100), while the colour collections cost 7,560 yen (£50).

The launch follows the introduction of eco-friendly graphene paint earlier this year by manufacturer Graphenstone. Reported to improve the thermal regulation of buildings, the paint is made from a pure lime base that has been combined with graphene – a recently engineered material hailed as the thinnest, strongest and most conductive ever developed.

| A Dezeen release ||  November 30, 2017   |||

Nov 29, 2017 - When Casey Aranui went looking for work experience for her EIT trades training programme, she was knocked back by a dozen builders.  The reasons she was given, she says, were about gender, but the determined 32-year-old wasn’t about to be deterred and her perseverance has paid off.

Graham Scarfe Builder Ltd offered Casey the opportunity she was looking for, and now, working full-time for the company, she is on track to securing a carpentry apprenticeship.

EIT tutor Tom Hay says Casey wasn’t the norm for a Level 3 New Zealand Certificate in Construction Trade Skills (Carpentry) student, the norm being “a young fellow just out of high school”.  However, she was one of four women on the programme – which has intakes in February and July – and Tom says the local building industry needs more female role models like her.

Living in Taradale, Casey and husband Reese have four children aged between two to seven.  The Ngāti Kahungunu couple have a plan for getting ahead and it was with that in mind that they both enrolled at EIT.Reese recently completed the first year of the Level 6 Diploma in Architectural Technology and once he gains his qualification he wants to work at a job that will allow him to give back to his community.

Managing the demands of family life, Casey notched up a good attendance record at EIT. And while on work experience she tackled some hard physical jobs including jack-hammering out concrete.  “She’s really determined,” Tom says and Graham Scarfe, whose family company employs 25 staff, agrees. “She’s going to be a top apprentice,” Graham enthuses. “She has got a hard road to achieve that and she’s going to do it.”

Like Casey, he’s picked up on outdated attitudes towards women working on construction sites and says there’s no need for it – from builders or from clients.

While Casey found that mind-set disheartening, she says she had no option other than to succeed. “We have four kids at home and a mortgage, bailing wasn’t an option.”

Like Reese, Casey likes to give back to the community. With Tom’s guidance and using offcuts from the trades programme, she and a friend recently built a rabbit hutch for the kōhanga reo on Waiohiki marae. Outside of work, she enjoys time with whānau and keeps active with boxing, cycling, Iron Māori and waka ama.

| An EIT release  ||  November 29, 2017   |||

Nov 29, 2017  -  KORU® is a new apple variety which has been grown in New Zealand for a few years now and exported to the US market. Now it is also being grown in the States and the area will increase considerably in years to come writes Nichola Watson for FreshPlaza.

"We import this apple in February and March," explains Jim Allen from New York Apple Sales. "Now we are growing it in the States too. It is an excellent eating apple, a cross between the Braeburn and Fuji apples. The Fuji gives it that high flavour and sugars and the low acid Braeburn combines them together."

Jim was at the Amsterdam Produce Show promoting the KORU® apple as it is also sold in Europe. "We are planting heavily in the US and have already harvested the New York and Washington state crops. We are in a group of three different marketers who have the right to market the apple for a grower's cooperative group who have the right to grow it. This year we harvested between 700 and 800 bins in New York and 1,500 bins in Washington state. Volumes will be increasing threefold each year in the States, just as they are in New Zealand."

The current New Zealand production is around 160,000, by 2020 they are looking at 300,000. It is a good yielding variety and a good sized apple which colours very nicely.

"We have been importing it now for 3-4 years," said Jim. "This is our second year of domestic production and KORU® is in the major retailers such as Walmart, Cosco and others. It is a hard apple which holds up very well and we are very excited about it. We think it is one of the best new apples around."

US production starts in October and runs through to January, then in February and March apples are imported from New Zealand. "What we have done this year is put some of our domestic crop in storage, we expect to bring those out a month before the new season starts. New Zealand stocks will last until August - September making an almost year round supply. This is the first year that we have put a lot in CA storage, but we have a lot of confidence that the quality will still be very good, the characteristics of the apple already point to a great storage apple."

| A FreshPlaza release ||  November 29, 2017   |||