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We’re a family-owned operation that has been there from the very beginning of the Gold kiwifruit story. Our good name stands behind every orchard that we produce. We use the same techniques to develop and manage our own orchards.
Our business model provides for the complete life cycle of a kiwifruit orchard – from land selection and orchard design, to nursing juvenile plants in our own greenhouses, to having our own teams across orchard construction, establishment, and crop management. This type of end-to-end orchard development offering is unique in the marketplace.
We’ve been at the leading edge of a number of industry firsts and innovations over the years. This includes putting our juvenile crops in greenhouses for added protection, placing canopies across entire orchards to prevent fruit rub and disease spread, through to creating specialist orchard establishment techniques to establish orchards faster. We were also early adopters of the Gold variety. And we are the industry leader in offering turn-key orchard developments.
The story of Southern Cross Horticulture reaches back six generations. Around 150 years ago, the original Dunstan family were Australian sheep and beef farmers, before moving to New Zealand to begin a new life.
At age 17, the eldest son Chris settled in Tauranga, where he planted his first kiwifruit orchard in 1977. Over the next four decades, together with his wife Shirley and their children, the Dunstan family established a string of successful orchards.
One memorable day, in 1997, Chris tasted the new variety of Gold kiwifruit for the first time. Struck by its unique taste and texture, he announced to the family: “This is going to be our future”.
Backed by their market-leading business model, which allowed them to develop their own orchards from scratch, the Dunstans were able to convert their orchards to the game-changing Gold.
Today, the pioneering spirit continues. Southern Cross Horticulture is focused on creating world-class orchards which produce larger crops, faster, and stand the test of time.
Southern Cross Horticulture was there at the very beginning of the Gold kiwifruit story. From day one, we’ve always been passionate advocates for this variety.
And as we look to the future of SunGold, we’re even more excited about its potential. The kiwifruit sector is about to embark on a bold new era, and we’re more than ready to capitalise on this opportunity. We have the people, the resources, the drive, and the vision. We invite you to join us.
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