Wattie’s Tomato Harvest ‘09 started at 3am

Wattie’s Tomato Harvest ‘09 started at 3am

February 17, 2009

·         At 3.00 am this morning Wattie’s started harvesting its tomato crop working three harvesters in unison.

·         Harvesting is 8 days earlier than last year due to this summer’s hot, dry weather in Hawke’s Bay.

·         By 6 am the processing of these tomatoes started at Wattie’s King Street plant, Hastings.

 
·         Tomato processing will go on around the clock for the next seven to eight weeks until early April.

·         An average of 700 tonnes of tomatoes will be harvested and processed each day.

·         In total, Wattie’s will process around 35,000 tonnes of tomatoes this year.

·         This is the company’s 72nd year of tomato processing.

·         The tomato crop is grown and processed in Hawke’s Bay. It is the largest of Wattie’s crops, ahead of peas which are grown and processed in Canterbury.

·         As tomatoes ripen for processing, Wattie’s and growers work closely together to ensure optimal harvesting and plant throughput.

·         Wattie’s tomatoes are a proprietary variety of tomato which has been bred for disease resistance, peelability, fruit quality and yield

·         Around 10 million tomato plants were planted out starting last October.  They were grown from seeds in a Hawke’s Bay nursery. At 45 days the carefully tended seedlings are planted out.

·         While planting occurred only during the day, harvesting and processing are 24-hour operations.

·         The tomato crop takes up 415 hectares on the Heretaunga Plains.

·         Wattie’s works on a 30-year average of the sunshine hours and temperatures to schedule planting to determine the ripeness of the crop come harvest.

·         Wattie’s recipe products have the “first call” on the tomato crop, including products such as Mexican Tomatoes, Pesto Style Tomatoes and Savoury Tomatoes. 

·         Such products account for 8 – 10% of the crop.  The balance is processed into tomato paste which is an ingredient in a wide variety of Wattie’s products, from baked beans and spaghetti to soups and sauces.

·         In total around 127,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables are grown in New Zealand for Wattie’s – mainly in the Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury.

ENDS

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